


Oh Emotions Emotions (Their Such Fickle Things)

by MinyardHatesYou



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abusive Dursley Family (Harry Potter), Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Bad Hermione Granger, Bad Ron Weasley, Banter, Blood Adoptions, Child Neglect, Dark Magic, Diagon Alley, Don't Like Don't Read, Dursley Family Bashing (Harry Potter), Dysfunctional Relationships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Evil Albus Dumbledore, F/F, F/M, Friends to Enemies, Friendship, Ginny Weasley Bashing, Goblins, Good Draco Malfoy, Good Fenrir Greyback, Good Lucius Malfoy, Good Malfoy Family (Harry Potter), Good Narcissa Black Malfoy, Good Severus Snape, Good Slytherins, Good Tom Riddle, Graphic descriptions of violence, Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Gryffindor Common Room, Harry Potter is a Horcrux, Harry Potter is the Heir to the House of Black, Harry Potter's Name is Hadrian, Harry is a Little Shit, Heir Harry Potter, Heir of Slytherin Harry Potter, Hermione Granger Bashing, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Insecure Harry, Insecurity, M/M, Magical Tattoos, Magically Powerful Harry Potter, Major Character Injury, Malfoy Manor, Manipulation, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Mature Harry Potter, Mentor Minerva McGonagall, Mentor Severus Snape, Mentor Voldemort (Harry Potter), Mind Games, Molly Weasley Bashing, Morally Grey Harry Potter, Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Powerful Harry, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Prankster Harry Potter, Quidditch, Resorting, Ron Weasley Bashing, Room of Requirement, Sane Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Sane Tom Riddle, Sarcasm, Sassy Harry, Scars, Severitus | Severus Snape is Harry Potter's Parent, Slytherin Common Room, Slytherin Harry Potter, Slytherins Being Slytherins, Smart Harry Potter, Tags Are Hard, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Marauder's Map, Trust Issues, Wandless Magic, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Wizarding Politics (Harry Potter), Wizengamot, Young Severus Snape
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-18 07:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 98,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21840349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MinyardHatesYou/pseuds/MinyardHatesYou
Summary: Back at the Dursley's Hadrien has a hard time adjusting, with the death of his godfather and the loss of support from almost all of his friends, he feels like he's buckling under the weight of the world being thrust upon his shoulders.Everything changes when he receives everything he was missing from some rather unexpected places.(Or, Hadrian James Potter has some rather unlikely alleys that come to his aid and change the course of his life for the better)
Relationships: Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy & Pansy Parkinson & Blaise Zabini, Draco Malfoy & Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Harry Potter & Blaise Zabini, Harry Potter & Fred Weasley & George Weasley, Harry Potter & Severus Snape, Harry Potter & Tom Riddle, Harry Potter & Tom Riddle & Severus Snape, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Lily Evans Potter & Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy & Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy & Tom Riddle, Rabastan Lestrange & Rodolphus Lestrange, Remus Lupin & Harry Potter, Sirius Black & Harry Potter, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin, Tom Riddle/Severus Snape
Comments: 77
Kudos: 817





	1. This Is Were It Starts, Oh Were Will It End

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this is a rewrite of a story that i had previously posted then took down. I've been working very hard on this story for a long time now and its not finished yet but i felt that i was ready to post what I already had done.

He was being sent back to the Dursley's.

Now that the world knew Voldemort was back and that he wasn't lying Dumbledore thought it was imperative that he return to the 'safety' of his relatives' home in Surrey, Little Whinging. Despite Harry's vicious protests and now with Sirius dead there really was no one to take him in any way. He couldn't go to the Weasley's because then he would be putting them in danger and he couldn't handle Ron's glares or Ginny's overbearing assertiveness, not right now. He couldn't go with Remus either, since the werewolf could barely support himself much less support a growing teenage boy.

He couldn't help the resentment and anger that seemed to swell inside of him at the thought of his so-called 'friends and relatives'.

Ron blamed him for being in the papers, while neither he nor the others were mentioned aside from a reference of 'The Five Hogwarts Students That Accompanied Harry Potter On His Desperate Quest'. He was jealous of the fame Harry had but never asked for and Hermione was no help. She blamed him for the injuries that she had gotten and for Sirius dying, constantly making snide little remarks about how he should have listened to her, should have done what she had told him to do. She called him a death magnet and ordered him to stay as far from her as possible, she needed time to collect herself and reevaluate their friendship.

He hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Luna or Neville but he assumed they felt the same, he nearly got them killed after all.

He tried reaching out to Remus but the werewolf pushed him away and Harry guessed he deserved that, he had gotten his best friend killed after all...but...it didn't make it hurt any less. The sting of the rejection hurt just as much as Sirius' death because Remus refused to talk to him, didn't respond to his letters, and was never left alone in the same room with him. It was like Harry might as well just not have existed to man.

Dumbledore refused to give him any real information and it quickly brought him neverending frustration, this summer was becoming all too similar to the last, and that hadn't been a good year by any sense of the word. He knew that whatever the old man decided to tell him would never be real information that could actually be useful but the fact that he wouldn't give Harry any information at all irritated him even more.

He belonged in the wizarding world more than the muggle one and to be so cut off from it felt like a never-ending punishment.

Vernon was casting glares at him every time he looked into the rear view mirror and he knew that the man was enraged by the fact that some of the Order had come to him in the middle of Kings Cross Station and warned him about going easy on his 'fragile' nephew because his godfather died. Now he could no longer use his relative's fear of his 'murderous' godfather coming to harm them if they hurt Harry and he knew that he was in for it.

If he was as unlucky as everyone thought he was then he would be dead in a few weeks...maybe a month if he was lucky.

When they pulled into the driveway of number 4 Privet Drive he winced as his Uncle's car door slammed shut with enough force to rattle the windows and he quickly followed him out of the very ordinary and boring car. Retrieving his trunk and Hedwig's empty bird cage he hauled it inside by himself and put it into the cupboard for his Uncle to lock up for the remainder of the Summer. Petunia glared at him from where she stood in the kitchen doorway, Seeming rather pleased at the sight of Hedwig's empty bird cage. She absolutely loathed having him in the house but his 'nasty little beast' was another matter entirely.

He had asked Professor McGonagall if she could watch the snowy owl for him over the summer and she had readily agreed to do so, promising to take good care of his oh so clever bird. She felt bad for how the year turned out for one of her favorite Gryffindors and wanted to do whatever she could to make it at least a little better for him, since she couldn't help him with Umbridge when she used blood quills on him then she could help him with his bird. It was the least she could do.

"Go take out the trash then go upstairs and stay there, I don't want to hear a peep out of you for the rest of the night, understood" Her tone was sharp and clipped while she turned down her nose at him, she glared as she waited for a response from her horribly freakish nephew.

"Yes Aunt Petunia" He grumbled and she sniffed at him quite snootily before she turned on her heels and went back into the kitchen to continue her cooking.

Following her into the kitchen he grabbed the trash bag from the can and took it outside as quickly as he could. Once he was done he slipped upstairs and went into his room unnoticed and happily stayed there for the rest of the night. He had managed to sneak the photo album of his parents and his wand into his room along with half of a ham and cheese sandwich that would be his breakfast in the morning and considered himself off to an okay start for the summer. He hid it under the floorboards like everything else he had ever wanted to hang onto without it being destroyed by the horrible muggles he was forced to call family. It would stay there until it was absolutely safe to pull them out again

The second day of his summer was spent doing as many chores he could manage from the ridiculously long list his Aunt had given to him that morning before she had left to go run errands. Dudley had yet to make an appearance, spending the next couple of days at a friends house, but he wasn't really complaining about the fact as he painted the garage and the shutters with a fresh coat of paint in their respective colors, completely undisturbed by his relatives or the nosy neighbors.

 ~~Clean the bathroom  
Clean the living room  
Wash the curtains  
Wash the dishes  
Vacuum  
Weed the garden  
Water the bushes  
Weed the backyard garden  
Paint the garage  
Paint the shutters  
~~ Clean the windows  
Clean the kitchen cabinets  
Clean the garden shed  
Sweep and wash the kitchen floor

The list went on and on and there was no way he would be able to finish it by the time Vernon got home unless he used magic and if he did then he would be kicked out of the one place he ever thought of as a home but on the other hand if he didn't use magic then he would definitely get into trouble with Uncle Vernon. He sighed as he weighed the options he had, even though he knew that he would choose the same option he chose every summer when faced with the same problem.

He was damned if he does and damned if he didn't.

It went this way for the next two weeks, two weeks of hunger and being worked to the bone as pain constantly tried to worm its way through his spine and up into his mind, soon the pain was accompanied by more bitter anger and resentment that grew with each passing day and soon his magic started responding to it, a floating dish or book here, a broken vase or shattered window there. Once he realized what he was doing he couldn't bring himself to stop, especially when he found that he could fix each occurrence with a wave of his hand and a hell of a lot of concentration, he even started to get better at small wandless magic and even nonverbal magic if he really set his mind to it.

At first he had feared for his life and livelihood, expecting an owl to swoop threw an open window and drop a howler at his feet telling him that he was to be expelled and his wand snapped but the more it happened without a word from the wizarding world the less he allowed the fear to control him.

The wandless and wordless magic often made him tired and left him with a headache afterward but it always felt so worth it.

He started practicing, doing wandless magic to do the smaller chores and it got easier and easier each time he did. He used his magic in front of his relatives for the first time since that summer before third year when Aunt Marge had started insulting his mother. The only difference this time around was that Petunia had done the bad-mouthing. His Aunt had squeaked and squawked about magic and filthy wizards and how he dared to do such disgusting things in her house, insisting that he put the books from the bookshelf in the backyard and burn them.

She claimed his magic contaminated the knowledge the books held and that made them unworthy of reading, like any of them would actually ever lay a finger on the books that had been sitting there untouched for years.

Vernon was slowly turning purple-faced as his sausage-sized fingers clenched into fists at his sides, looking like he was about to start yelling his lungs out but Harry didn't move or flinch away as he would have in the past. Instead, he glared and dropped the dishrag he was holding into the sink and stared his uncle straight in the eye, watching as the man's face turned an even deeper shade of purple.

"I am not a slave, I will no longer put up with your nonsense" He flicked his wrist and suddenly all the knives in the cutting block were in the air and floating, causing Petunia to shriek and Dudley to shout as he tried to duck behind his mother even though he was vastly larger than her and she would provide little to no protection had Harry decided to actually attack them. He let his magic swell and he allowed the knives to drop to the floor with several metallic clanks

He could feel his magic inside of him. It felt like a forest fire devouring everything inside of him, overtaking all of the other emotions inside of him and stroking his magic, and encouraging it. His magic did just that, it reacted to his anger and a glass on the table shattered causing the muggles to flinch and he nodded his head at them. Turning to leave the kitchen he started walking and he only stopped when he reached the hall door leading to the front door, intending to go to his bedroom.

"From now on, you do your own chores, don't bother me and we won't have any issues" With that he left, ignoring the shocked silents he was leaving behind and headed to his room, he magically locked the door behind him and sat on his bed as he started to plan.

He would go to Diagon Alley tomorrow, go to Gringotts and maybe go to a few of the other shops in the Alley as well, the only problem was that he risked running into someone he knew or worse the crowd of shoppers recognizing him and making a scene. He was in no mood to deal with people that thought they knew him because their parents told his tales to them as a bedtime story. There was no way he could cast a glamour on himself and hold it the whole day with just wandless magic and he couldn't use his wand, there was no way he could be out for more than a few hours.

He would just have to brave the crowds and maybe even go early in the morning to avoid the majority of the people.

That night he slept a little better than he had in the first part of his summer but now that his so-called family wouldn't dare harm him further than they already had, he felt like a portion of a heavyweight had been lifted off his shoulders.

But the nightmares still came when he closed his eyes .

Every night like clockwork he would be awoken by the savage and horrid memories of that night in the DOM and every time they ended they left him awake and aching for his godfathers and the knowledge that neither of them would come for him was crushing. The knowledge that there was no one he could write to or talk to left him feeling empty. He didn't sleep for the rest of the night when this happened, filled with too much indignation for the people in his life that were too busy to be there for him when he needed them the most.

As the sun began to rise he gave up on trying to ignore the hate and regret and countless other negative emotions that constantly seemed to plague him these days and stood up from his sheetless mattress and moved quietly around his room, pulling on a pair of his least ratty blue jeans and the nicest casual shirt he could find. A plain blue shirt that Aunt Petunia had thrown at him one day when some of Uncle Vernon's coworkers were supposed to come over for dinner and he was needed to be on his best behavior as he cooked and cleaned up dinner with Aunt petunia's 'help'. If he recalled correctly she had 'accidentally' knocked him in the head with a plate.

By the time he was ready and worked up the courage to leave his room and go get breakfast the Dursleys were already awake and Aunt Petunia was staring at the stove in frustration while Dudley and Vernon sat at the table moping. The smell of burned bacon made him smirk internally. He grabbed an apple from the bowl on the table and left the kitchen without a word before heading to the cupboard under the stairs he waved his hand and unlocked it wordlessly and wandlessly, ignoring the nasty looks cast his way.

Going into his truck he opened it and dug a round a little bit till he found his plain black cloak that he had argued with Hermione about for over an hour. She insisted on using her magic to turn the black silk on the inside, a rich blood red and putting the Gryffindor emblem just under the right shoulder over his heart. He himself insisted that it was just fine the way it was. He had won in the end and it stayed the way he had wanted it.

That had been back in their third year when they could still talk to each other like they were friends.

Pulling on the worn fabric of his cloak, he dug back into his trunk some more and pulled out a small velvet pouch that held the money he had left over from his trip to Diagon Alley at the beginning of last year and managed to hide and save till he needed it again. Closing his truck he magically locked it so that no one could go into it without his permission. If they attempted to they would face some pretty nasty curses that would leave anyone pretty messed up afterward. Tucking the pouch safely into his pocket he closed the cupboard and turned towards his relatives.

"Stay away from my things, I'll be back in a couple of hours" He spoke coldly with a sharp edge in his voice and watched in satisfaction as they shivered in fear before turning on his heel and leaving the place he dreaded with everything that he had in him. Munching on his apple as he went.

Going down the walkway he walked the few blocks it took to get to the desolate park that Dudley and his friends used to chase him through while parents turned a blind eye because they heard from Aunt Petunia that he was a troublemaker and a freak that never knew how to behave. The hot temperature of the day drove away anyone willing to go to the park that had no shade and proved to be the perfect place for him to summon the Knight Bus, his ride to The Leaky Cauldron. He walked across the street from the park and summoned the Knight Bus. He waited for all of a fraction of a heartbeat for the purple tri-decker bus to appear.

Getting on he paid his fair and sat down. He and a few other people were the only ones on the bus and Harry sat as far away from all of them as he could manage, especially from an older wizard wearing dark red robes that made his grey hair stand out more that wouldn't stop giving the raven-haired teen sideways glances every time he thought Harry wasn't looking.

He got off outside of The leaky Cauldron and pulled up the hood of his cloak to cover his unruly hair and what little of his face he could manage. In a last moment of panic, he decided to put up a glamour, even though it would leave him drained afterward. He allowed his magic to swell out to make sure his glamour was in place and hopefully offer him a little protection from any prying eyes. It didn't make him look all that different, to be honest, he didn't have all that much practice with glamours but in reality, it just made him feel better to wear it...like a security blanket he supposed. 

Stepping inside he cast a quick look around at the few patrons that would be drinking at such an early hour before heading over to the bar counter. Tom the innkeeper stood behind it, polishing beer glasses and not in the slightest bit busy from what Harry could see. The old inn keeper had a soft spot for Harry and would no doubt recognize him even with the glamour. Tom was weird like that but Harry never minded. 

Tom was good people.

"Well look what we have here, what can I do for you today Mister Potter" The older gentleman looked pleased to be seeing Harry. He knew that Harry knew that the innkeeper had a soft spot for him and he enjoyed taking time to talk time the young lad. He was a rather good conversationalist even if the conversations Harry had with him were often cut short.

"I need to get into the Diagon Alley if it's not too much trouble sir"

"Of course Mister Potter, doing some early school shopping are we?" Harry gave his affirmation and followed after the man. Thanking him for opening the passageway for him he shook the man's hand as they parted.

"Have a splendid day Sir"

"You as well Mr.potter"

With that Harry stepped into the Alley and the already slightly forming crowds, the Alley would be buzzing with life by the time he was done with his shopping so he quickly settled his nerves and stepped further into the bustling streets. He made his way to Flourish and Blotts, intent on getting some books on the darker side of the Wizarding World, he wanted to know as much as he could about the past and it had nothing to do with the goblin wars Professor Binns had been spouting on and on about since they started the class back in there first year when he was eleven years old. He wanted to know more about Dark Magic and why it was so bad, forbidden.

He wanted to know the things that others refused to teach him.

He found several good choices and finally settled on three books that piqued his interest the most, 'The Rise Of Dark Magic' by Bertha Mcglaggen, 'True Darkness' by Jexius Charis, and another interesting book on politics that he thought would be useful in getting himself emancipated from his magical guardian. He paid the twelve sickles that he owed for the books and ignored the hard look that the sales clerk gave him, giving her a rather harsh look himself that made her back off, he went off on his way. He held the books close to his chest as he walked through the crowds, intending to go to Madam Malkin's shop to get a few robes that were bare of the Gryffindor logo. He wanted to branch away from the house of the lions and from Hogwarts in general, wanted to be seen as something other than the Gryffindor Golden Boy.

It wasn't like he was the same 11-year-old boy that wore those shirts and robes anyway. Back when everything had been simple.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when a shoulder roughly bumped into his own, luckily he didn't lose his grip on his books and turned to face the person that bumped into him. He glared when he caught a flash of platinum blonde hair. Turning fully he was met with two pairs of sharp grey eyes, a pair of onyx black eyes, a pair of warm hazel brown eyes, and a pair of startling blood-red eyes that nearly made him drop the books he was holding.

He steeled himself at the last moment and straightened out his form, doing his best to draw forth his Gryffindor courage that the sorting hat had said he had more than enough of He looked each of them in the eye as he began to speak.

"Professor Snape, Lord Malfoy, Lady Malfoy, Heir Malfoy...Lord Riddle" He addressed each of them as respectfully as he could even though it was known that he had a less than pleasant history with most of the people in front of him.

He wasn't naive enough to trick himself into thinking that the man with the red eyes could be anyone else other than a glamoured Dark Lord. The bustling crowds around them continued to move along as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on like Harry Potter wasn't facing the enemy that the universe had set out for him since long before he was even born....but, Voldemort didn't look like the deranged dark wizard that Harry had faced in the past years or even the deranged man he met in the chamber of secrets or had heard about in stories that students at Hogwarts spouted on and on about or the false stories that Dumbledore and Hagrid and most of the other professors told when they talked about 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' and 'You-Know-Who'.

"Mister Potter...interesting books you have there" Lucius Malfoy raised an eyebrow at the boy in front of him as he caught a peek at the books enfolded in his arms. The older Wizards recognized each book well having read maybe two or even all three themselves and Lucius wondered what use the child would have for a book about the old family laws and the possibilities of a young wizard had if they were ever disowned or emancipated in there life. The books on dark magic surprised him even more. He couldn't help but wonder what use the books could possibly hold for the Boy-Who-lived.

"Just a bit of...light reading, sir" He replied as smoothly as he could.

The present potions master huffed quietly "I received a very interesting letter from your Head of House the other day, Mister Potter, requesting that I grant you entrance into my sixth-year potions class, any specific reason for that" He leveled his student with a look that stopped putting fear into him a long time ago, it only succeeded in igniting a rebellious sort of rage inside of him now "As your head of the house is aware your fifth-year marks did not qualify you for the class...but if you still wish to pursue your career as an Auror then there are remedial classes you can take and if you pass then there is a possibility for you to take the advanced class...I assume I will be receiving a very pleased letter from your head of house at the start of the school year?"

Harry was surprised by what he was hearing, was Severus Snape, the man that did nothing but insult and glare and scowl at him from the moment he had stepped into Hogwarts, offering him a chance to prove himself. He felt a spark of remorse in him for his inability to accept the offer, "I'm grateful for the opportunity Professor but I can not accept your offer. I believe I have spent enough time in the company of death and honestly Sir, I think we both know that the odds of me surviving this war were never in my favor"

He didn't sound bitter or angry like he normally did these days, he had accepted the philosophy a long time ago and the words rolled off his tongue as if he was talking about the scores of a quidditch game or the weather.

"Very well Mr.Potter the offer is long-standing if you ever change your mind" The Potions Master was watching him curiously like Harry was a puzzle that he couldn't solve but needed to know everything about.

He briefly noted that the rest of the group looked stricken as if they didn't know how to respond to someone so young being so certain of their own demise. Voldemort himself was about to speak when a shrill voice broke through the crowd, parting it like the Red Sea as an enraged Molly Weasley stomped through, followed by the majority of the Weasley family. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Molly looked downright furious while Arthur and the twins looked concerned. They came to rest in front of the group and Molly rested her hands on her hips, looking like she was ready to go into a rant that she only reserved for howlers or for the twins when they did something particularly irresponsible.

"Lucius Malfoy if you do not leave that boy alone, you have no business talking to the boy, I suggest you be on your way" She turned her gaze to the raven-haired teen and reached out as if to pull him closer to her "Harry, dear you should know better then to be talking to such people, and why are you here all by yourself what were you thinking"

He took a quick step back, avoiding her touch "Forgive me Mrs. Weasley but I can see no possible good reason for me to not associate with these people and it was rather rude of you to interrupt our conversation and cause such a scene in the middle of Diagon Alley"

"Harry you can't seriously be siding with them" Ron sneered as he glared at Draco and then at Harry in disapproval, like Harry talking to the Malfoys was the greatest sin that could ever be committed in the history of wizards. Like the redhead had the right to tell him what to do after abandoning his 'best friend'

"Now Now Ronikins, Harry has the right to talk to whomever he pleases" George broke in as he roped an arm around his youngest brothers shoulders and pulled him close so that he stood between himself and Fred "After all Harry is a smart lad, he knows how to be a big boy and is perfectly capable of talking to grownups without your help"

"George be quiet this matter is none of your business" the red-headed woman scolded, ignoring the quick flash of hurt that flashed over her son's face, as if George and Fred didn't see and refer to Harry as their little brother, they saw him as more of a brother than they ever did Ron, he was quite the insufferable brat the twins had put up with it long enough.

"Mrs. Weasley believe it or not we have better things to do then lower ourselves to your level to sit here and squabble, if the boys have everything they require then I believe it's time to go, Draco, Harry, come along" Lucius Malfoy to the rescue, Harry couldn't help but think sarcastically.

Harry was grateful for the out he was being given and clutched the books in his hand just a tad bit tighter as Mrs. Malfoy shooed him and Draco along. Only to be stopped by Ginny as she spoke in a last-ditch effort to get the raven-haired teen to flee the presents of the Slytherins like she had any real influence on his life.

"Honestly Harry what would your parents think of you, hanging out with such vile people, to think that you're actually a Potter, your parents would be rolling in there graves" She cocked her hips, hands resting firmly on her waist as she leveled Harry with a look like she was trying to make him spontaneously combust and fall in love with her at the same time. It was extremely reminiscent of her mother's exact pose a few steps away from her.

Like mother like daughter.

His magic flared angrily inside his chest, his voice bubbling up into his throat and leaving his mouth in a spewing rage before he could even think to stop himself "Last I checked Ginerva you did not know my parents nor did you write a letter asking about them over the summer or any letters at all, there is no way you could ever know what they would have wanted for me so unless you have a way to talk to the dead, I think I will prefer the company of the Slytherins over yours any day"

With that he turned on the heel of his shoes and started to walk, the whispers of the gathering crowd quieting as the people parted to let him through. Surprisingly enough the Malfoys, Snape, and the Dark Lord followed him till they were in a much more secluded spot as far away from the Weasleys as he could get. As soon as he was out of sight of the majority of the crowds he turned back to his....acquaintances or whatever it was he would decide to call them later.

"The papers will have a field day with this I have no doubt, so tell me, Harry Potter, was it worth it" Tom's voice was different, he sounded more...teasing.... less malicious and more sane.

Harry leveled the man with a glare, he was in no mood to deal with such mockery after the confrontation he had with the people he had once considered friends and family. The man simply chuckled, his voice smooth and firm, so unlike the sly hiss it had been back at the graveyard or in the department of mysteries.

"Mr.Potter, I believe we have much to discuss, in the next few days you will be receiving a howl, it's time that we sit down and talk like the civilized wizards that we are capable of being"

Harry nodded stiffly, still trying to pull in his anger that he couldn't exactly direct at one single person but a group of them, even if they hadn't been present at the incident just moments ago.

He wasn't sure what prompted him to do it but he stuck his hand out to the man that had been trying to kill him since before his first year and vice versa. Everyone seemed to be shocked by his actions for all of a moment before the Dark Lord took the hand offered to him and shook it firmly before letting go. Harry shook the hands of each Malfoy, even Draco's causing the platinum blonde to smirk at him which Harry had to do his best not to reciprocate before moving on to the last Wizard of the group, Severus Snape.

He could feel nerves flutter in the pit of his stomach for a fraction of a second before it disappeared like the rest of the emotions he hadn't felt in weeks as he stuck his hand out to the potions master. He was surprised when the man took it without a second's hesitation and looked straight in the eye. Harry stared right back into onyx eyes as he felt something probe at his mental shields which strengthened instantly and pushed the older wizard out.

They both stood there for a moment before Snape spoke, sounding nothing like he did when he was scolding Harry in the classroom or another student in the corridors, he sounded like he had a reason to be relaxed, even thought Harry could sense his apprehension and suspicion "Impressive Mister Potter, you've improved exponentially since our last lesson"  
"I've been practicing, Sir" After the DOM he refused to be as naive as before. He refused to be as vulnerable as he was then.

Snape nodded at him "Good, now off you go, I'm sure your relatives are wondering the Alley looking for you"

"Yes sir" He didn't bother correcting the assumption that his relatives would ever tolerate magic enough to come to Diagon Alley with him or even cared about him enough to step foot within a mile of a place like this, full of freaks and weirdos and the type of people that the Dursleys would never be caught dead with.

He turned on his heels, books clutched close to his chest as he adjusted the hood of his cloak and disappeared into the growing crowds of the alley, moving quicker and quicker as it dawned on him just how much time he had wasted on the Weasleys, he still had to get to Madam Malkin's shop after all.

\-----------------------

His relatives did not know how to take a threat seriously.

He listened to Aunt Petunia shriek from her place in the kitchen from where he lay curled up in his cupboard, cradling his midsection in his arms. Apparently, his Uncle did not appreciate his threats and didn't believe his nephew when he said that he would not react well to his uncle trying to lay a hand on him again. The moment he had walked into the house he had been confronted by the enraged purple-faced walrus of a man.

He had felt his anger welling up inside his chest but kept it a bay as best as he could. Ignoring the man and going upstairs, intent on starting in on the new books in his hands when the man followed him up the stairs, waiting till they both got to the top before grabbing a fist full of raven hair and yanking, causing Harry to drop his books and reach back to scratch at the hand in his hair when he was suddenly yanked back and sent tumbling down the stairs, knocking on the front right side of his head against the bottom of the banister. He was dazed and groggy and could only grunt in pain when the fat man descended the stairs and promptly kicked him in the stomach.

He couldn't remember what happened after that, only waking up in his cupboard with his chest aching and his head throbbing in pain. It had taken seconds for him to focus enough to figure out where the Dursleys were and a second to listen to what they were saying before he could hear the sound of glass shattering as Petunia started screaming, quickly followed by Dudley while Vernon asked what was wrong frantically before he too started to scream as well and Harry took pleasure in hearing them cry out at the things he made them see. The images he filled their minds with.

He couldn't keep it up for long, his magic quickly depleting as it attempted to heal his aching chest and head while he tried to use advanced magic that he hadn't had much practice with. The visions only stopped when his magic became too depleted and tiredness took over his body and mind and sent him into sleep.

He stayed locked in the cupboard under the stairs for two days before Petunia yanked the door to the cupboard open harshly, causing him to hiss at the sudden stream of light that flooded into the small space.

"Out, get up and get rid of the bloody bird on the mailbox before one of the neighbors see it."

He rolled his eyes as he stood up shakily and headed for the front door, slipping outside easily and ignoring the brightness of the afternoon sun that caused his head to pound even harder, he did his best not to stumble as he made his way down the walkway. When he got to where the owl was perched he reached a hand out slowly as he squinted for a moment, not recognizing the bird as any of his friends or anyone else's.

The owl seemed friendly enough as it hooted at him and stuck out its leg, showing off the letter that was neatly tied to it. 

Reaching out he stroked along the bird's feathers while he offered out his arm, mumbling quietly, only just loud enough for the bird to blearily hear him. He couldn't bring himself to speak any louder.

"Come along I'm sure you're tired, come inside, you can rest while I write a reply to your owner"

With a soft hoot the owl shifted flapping its wings as it moved from the male box to Harry's arm, careful not to dig its talons into the human's bare arm. Harry ignored his Aunt's indignant mutterings when she saw that he had brought 'the filthy animal' into her house. Going up stairs to his small room in the Dursley household. He found his trunk carelessly dropped in the middle of the floor but the rest of the room was as he had left it.

Letting the owl rest on the resting stand on the desk he disappeared to use the bathroom and to drink some water from the tap. The water was cool and soothing to his dry throat and he was happy that he was no longer crammed into the cupboard. Going back to his room and the awaiting owl he gently removed the letter from the bird's leg and set about opening it. The seal on the back was fancy and eloquent and oddly familiar but he couldn't really place it, breaking the seal with suspicion his eyes widened slightly with surprise

_Dear Mr. Potter  
Thank you for your decision to open a line of communication between ourselves and open to the idea of a civil meeting. I would like to reassure you that this meeting will remain strictly formal and that you nor any of your associates will be harmed at this meeting if you so wish to bring them.  
On behalf of myself and my associates, I wish to invite you to a formal lunch where we can sit down and discuss the pressing matters at hand. The gathering will start at 12:30 if you are agreeable. Someone will be sent to meet you at a place of your choosing to bring you to Malfoy Manor, via side apparition. The meeting is set to take place between June 19th and June 24th. If none of these dates are agreeable then we can set up a more convenient date. This meeting will hold both ourselves as well as 8 others of the most trusted. You are more than welcome to bring allies of your own to this encounter.  
Hootling will wait at your residence till you are ready to send your reply or till he is dismissed by you personally.  
Humbly awaiting your reply. Head of the Malfoy  
Lord Lucius Malfoy._

He had to reread the immaculate handwriting twice before he could even think of a proper reply to send back to the aristocrat, the terms and intentions were clear and Harry appreciated the fact but it wasn't every day that one gets a letter from their enemy's right-hand man. He couldn't help but find it smart for Lucius to be the one to write the letter instead of the very wanted and feared Dark Lord in case the letter was intercepted and read, though he was willing to bet that there were charms on it to give it at least a little protection against certain nosy ministry workers and order members. Writing his reply took longer than he would have liked to admit. He had scrapped two letters before taking a break to get a small helping of food from the kitchen for himself and water for the owl - Hootling according to the letter- before he had finally managed to write a reply with the most decent handwriting he could muster up.

He gave the owl another 2 hours of rest before sending him off and till then he had to sit tight and wait for the important meeting that would be taking place in just three days. He was rather happy with the fact that he would be able to meet with the dark lord so soon. He was finally being given a choice about what he did in his life, finally able to make decisions for himself without Dumbledore's manipulations or influences. For once he finally felt in control and the feeling helped simmer down some of the raw anger and resentment inside of him.

Three days, that's all he had left

Three days and he would finally start to learn the truth about what was really going on in the world he lived in.

\--------- ------------ ----------

Three days could not go by fast enough, even if he had a lot of things to think about and little time to think about them. His relatives were more insufferable than normal in his mind and he spent hours wondering what could possibly happen at this meeting, it could be a trap or a cruel trick to gain his favor before they used his desperation to get away from his relatives and his anger at Dumbledore and his so-called 'light side' to manipulate him...or...it could be his chance to finally live the life he had always wanted to, a life of his own choosing where he didn't have to be the Golden-Boy-Who-Could-Do-No-Wrong. It just seemed too good to be true and it wasn't like he could ask Hermione and Ron what they thought of the situation, even if they were on speaking terms they would just tell him how wrong he was and then run straight to Dumbledore and he couldn't have that.

He still had to deal with his friends after all. His so-called friends had long since abandoned him, just before they were about to get off the train at Kings Cross Station, saying that they needed to take a step back from him and all of the chaos that came with him, least that he get them killed like he had gotten Cedric and Sirius killed. It had been a low blow and Hermione had gone wide-eyed and had cuffed Ron on the back of the head for it and proceeded to call him a few rather foul names. They had started to bicker about which one of them was right and neither noticed that Harry had collected up his things and left the compartment feeling numb, he couldn't stand to hear them bicker about him and the destruction that followed him like a shadow.

Waking up the morning of the meeting at 9 am he couldn't help but feel curiosity curl in his stomach as he reread the letter before finally deciding to get up and prepare for the day, he had several things he would have to get in Diagon Alley before the meeting anyway, including the clothes he had ordered from Madam Malkin's and he still wanted to order some potions books from Flourish and Blotts along with his other school books since he decided to take a certain Potions Master up on his offer he decided to take his studies more seriously.

Vernon had left earlier than normal and Petunia and Dudley had left not long afterward to go and do some shopping so he took a long undisturbed shower and ate at the kitchen table as a normal child did in the mornings. He had also gotten his school supply list the day before so he figured he might as well get a few things while he was in Diagon Alley. He dressed in his nicest dress clothes, a pair of cream-colored khaki pants and a blue button-down shirt that had been Dudley's, the walrus of a boy hadn't fit the shirt so for the first time in years Harry had had something brand new all for himself. It was too large but with practice, he had been able to use his magic and cause it to shrink down to a more becoming size. The shirt fit him well now and he managed to get his hair to look a tad bit more managed by using some of Petunia's hair spray and a little bit of water.

He cleaned up rather well when he was given the opportunity. Like a proper member of society, he snorted sarcastically when his brain mimicked on of Aunt Petunia's snide remarks about him.

When he thought that he looked presentable he pulled on his cloak and made sure to have his money, in both muggle and wizards currency before leaving number 4 Privet Drive. Once again his ride on the knight bus was less than pleasant but it was bearable, by the time he got to the leaky cauldron the clock was just striking 11, giving him an hour to do what he needed to get done before he would be met at the corner leading into Knockturn Alley by whoever Lucius Malfoy sent to fetch him since he had told the man in his reply letter that he had no complaints about who they sent as long as said person didn't try to kill him. He went to Madam Malkin's first, picking up and paying for the clothes he ordered, a combination of muggle clothes and wizard attire. It was time he had a wardrobe full of clothes that actually fit him.

After Madam Malkin he stopped into Mr. Mulpepper's Apothecary on the north side of the Alley to gather a few odds and ends that he would need for this year's upcoming potions lessons. Flourish and Blotts was the next stop and was fairly busy like the rest of the Alley, full of families preparing their children for the upcoming school year. He found the books he needed quickly and efficiently -along with a few extra books that would be useful in his studies- all seeming to be similar to the books they had used in the past. He had everything shrunken down to fit into the pockets of his robes and by the time he left the shop, it was 11:54. walking down the busy cobblestone walk he found his way to the mouth of Knockturn Alley. The entrance was as dark and creepy looking as ever, avoided by the general population of the Alley aside from the few suspicious-looking witch or wizard here and there.

He stood at the mouth of the Alley, cautiously looking out at the patrons as they walked past, they paid him no mind as they bustled about but he was careful in observing them, looking for anyone that seemed off or that he knew would run back to Dumbledore. He noticed quickly when two unfamiliar figures started to walk towards him, a light and relaxed air around them, he made sure to keep his posture calm even as his magic reacted to his emotions of uneasy, ready to lash out if necessary. He was being approached by none other then Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange.

They were both wearing impressive glamours but Harry could tell that they were the famous criminal brothers he had seen in pictures, especially after the incident last year. Their hair was no longer the dark color it normally was, having been replaced by a light auburn color that framed their newly freckled faces and their eyes were a light greenish-grey instead of the dark brown they had been when he had seen them at the Department of Mysteries. When they reached him their greetings were casual and Harry had to resist the urge to laugh at there slightly awkward attempt to start a conversation.

"Mr.Potter...It's a pleasure, I'm Rodolphus and this is my brother-"

"I'm Rabastan, Mr. Potter, we are your transportation for the day" the longer-haired brother finished.

"We should be going, our friends are waiting for us" They smirked simultaneously and Harry swore that he was meeting Fred and George all over again. It was lucky for him that he had so much practice following bouncing conversations, making it easy for him to follow the brothers and what they were saying. Rabastan offered his arm to the teen and Harry took it after only a moment's hesitation. No turning back now.

"Ready Mr.Potter?" The long-haired Lestrange asked curiously an auburn-colored eyebrow-raising at him in question.

Harry took a breath before he spoke "yes, thank you"

The older man nodded before the brothers exchanged a quick look that most people wouldn't have caught before they both apparated away, he felt the pull just behind his navel and the feeling of being squeezed through a tube, and in all honesty, the experience was just as unpleasant as he remembered it being and the moment his feet touched the ground he was hit with a dizzy spell and his knees buckled making him stumble. A set of arms wrapped around his waist and a set of hands grabbed onto his too-thin shoulders gently helping him steady his balance and stay on his feet even as two sets of worried greenish-grey eyes watched him worriedly.

Once he got his feet under him properly the holds retreated but the worried looks did not "Are you alright Mr.Potter, are you feeling well?"

"I'm fine, thank you. Apparition just doesn't agree with me is all" He lied easily, having lied about his health all the time in the past and he most likely would be doing it again in the future and it wasn't like it was a complete lie, any form of magical transport like apparition and floo travel disagreed with him.

Both men gave him suspicious looks but left it as it was and pulled out their wands and got rid of their glamours, auburn hair and greenish-grey eyes being replaced with their normal black curls and dark brown eyes while the freckles adorning their faces disappeared altogether. Harry took the moment he had to observe their new surroundings. It was a grand foyer leading into an equally grand entrance hall that was immaculate and Harry could appreciate the architecture. A house-elf popped in and took his cloak excitedly, leaving him in his khakis and a button-down. Once the elf was sure he was comfortable he disappeared with a pop and he was left to follow the Lestrange brothers through the tastefully decorated hallways full of moving portraits to the dinning room where the eight 'associates' were waiting for them.

He couldn't bring himself to focus on one single thing, instead his gaze was upon the eight people sitting around a large beautifully crafted dark stained mahogany table with matching chairs. At the head of the table sat the Dark Lord with Lucius Malfoy on his right and Severus Snape on his left. Next to Lucius was Narcissa and Draco was next to her. Across from Narcissa was Fender Greyback and across from Draco was Bellatrix Lestrange. When the trio walked in all conversation died but no one seemed outright hostile towards him and he thought it was a pretty well off start...even if nothing had really happened yet. He was just glad no one had tried to hex him....yet

He watched as Voldemort stood up along with Lucius and Severus who both did their best to look inviting even though it seemed like they were both ways out of their depths.

" Mr. Potter, Thank you for joining us, please have a seat. We are pleased to have you in our home" Lucius spoke with a light voice like he wasn't talking to someone that had foiled his plots and made him look like a fool in the past.

"Mr.Potter" Voldemort nodded at him and nodded his head towards the empty seat at the other end of the table while Rabastan took up the seat next to Draco and Rodolphus sat across from his brother and next to his wife.

Severus stared at him with narrowed eyes but nodded his head at him and sat down as well. Taking his own seat harry noted that the table was oddly quiet and he couldn't help but notice the side looks that Bellatrix and Fenrir cast at him occasionally along with Narcissa who seemed to be the most wary of him. 

Conversation slowly started to pick up as everyone was brought something to drink by an eager house-elf named Rimly, he was a bubbly little thing, and he was a tad smaller than a regular-sized house-elf and he reminded Harry greatly of Dobby.

"So Mister Potter have you rethought my offer of remedial potions lessons at all" All of the small conversations seemed to stop and Harry had to stop himself from fidgeting under the sudden attention he was receiving. He made sure to meet the Potions Master's eyes when he replied, unsure if his decision would be accepted or not.

"Actually Professor I have reconsidered your offer, although I do not want to be an Auror I have been considering a career as a Healer" He spoke more confidently towards the end of his sentence and took a moment to take a sip of his pumpkin juice while everyone else seemed to take a moment to think about what he said.

"Why the sudden change in feelings Mr.Potter"

"I have done a lot of thinking over the last couple of days Professor and I have come to quite a few realizations...being an Auror was never really my idea. Ronald Weasley was the one to explain to me what an Auror was back in our first year and how much he wanted to be one, he was my first friend, as I didn't have any growing up, and because I wanted to fit in I said I wanted to be an Auror too and as time went on, more people told me about my parents being full-time Order members and always fighting for what they thought was right and how proud they would be of me if I became an Auror and an Order member, following in their footsteps and helping people, the thought of making them proud of me was important" Harry paused for a moment, trying to gather his quickly scattering thoughts "What I realized was what I truly want...when this is all over...is a quiet life and I very well can't get that if I'm chasing bad guys all the time, being a healer could be my way of helping people without the constant mortal peril"

The whole table was silent as the group processed his words and Harry couldn't help but feel his unease grow as the silents went on before Narcissa spoke up "That is a very respectable aspiration Mister Potter, a career as a Healer can be very rewarding"

Some of his unease dissipated at the gentle words, he didn't realize how much he wanted the group to accept his decision but he chalked it up to insecurity and an awful childhood "Thank you Lady Malfoy"

"Please dear, call me Narcissa"

He nodded at her words as several small conversations broke out over the table again as Rimly popped into the room and set out lunch with a snap of his fingers, lingering a few feet away from the table quietly in case anyone needed anything. The food was splendid and the conversation was light and pleasant as they ate and Harry couldn't help but be surprised by the normalcy of the whole situation, as the Dark Lord and his innermost circle were just any other families enjoying a nice lunch together. He listened to Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Lucius hold a perfectly sane conversation leaving him to think that Bellatrix Lestrange was not as insane as he was lead to believe.

He watched Draco ignore specific bits of food on his plate while his mother admonished him lightly about eating healthy.

He even had a few pleasant conversations with Rabastan and Rodolphus who were rather soft-hearted compared to some of the others at the table and by the time lunch was nearly finished, he was feeling rather relaxed.

"So Scarhead do you think Gryffindor will win the quidditch cup this year" The table went deadly silent and Severus, Lucius, Narcissa and Rodolphus looked ready to reprimand the platinum blonde severely when Harry responded, a full-blown grin stretched across his face .

"Of course I do Ferret, there's no way Slytherin will win with you atrocious seeking skills" He added a teasing tone to his voice even as a grin broke over Draco's face.

"Oh Potter all that unruly hair must be getting to your brain, you actually believe you're a good seeker"

"I'm a better seeker then you, you prat"

Draco made a mock offended face before both he and Harry burst out in laughter even as the rest of the table stared at them gobsmacked, staring at the two soon to be 6th years in shock, never before had anyone ever seen the two get along or even say anything relatively nice to each other much less tease each other like they had been friends all their lives.

"I'm sorry am I missing something here?" Bellatrix broke up the teen's laughter and they sobered up quickly as they looked at the adults a little sheepishly. It was Draco that spoke up first and started to explain.

"Me and Harry have been on relatively good terms since our third year but since everything with our rivalry and everyone expecting us to be rivals we kept our friendship a secret, Harry is actually pretty accepted among the Slytherins, all things considered..." The platinum blonde trailed off

No one spoke for a moment and neither Harry nor Draco dared to move even an inch while under the scrutiny of the adults although the silence was quickly broken by the Dark Lord who stood up as he spoke

"I believe we are all quite finished, we shall retire to the drawing-room where we can discuss all of our more pressing matters at hand. There are many issues that need to be resolved" Tom had a commanding air around him and Harry couldn't help but listen.

They all stood up and made their way to the drawing-room, sticking close to Draco the whole time Harry made sure not to forget any of the questions or concerns that he had. He was here for a reason, after all, this meeting could decide his standing in the war. Or at least give him some things to reconsider. He could be changing the whole course of the war, he could be sentencing himself to a death match against one of the most powerful wizards in existence, he was not naive enough to think that if the Dark Lord challenged him to a duel that he could win, the man had years more of experience and much more practice, Harry couldn't count on luck to save him if things went bad. No one could be THAT lucky.

The drawing-room was a warm, cozy, room with a formal edge to it and everyone found a seat quickly although Harry noticed that Greyback opted to stand, leaning against a nearby wall while Rabastan and Rodolphus sat in two chairs at the edge of the group where they picked up a rather intense game of Rock Paper Scissors while Severus and Voldemort sat on a plush black love seat while Narcissa, Lucius, and Bellatrix sat on the matching couch while Harry took up an eloquent looking wingback chair and last but not least, Draco, who took up a seat at the bay window.

"Before we get started I would like to bring up a potentially important matter at hand...Mr.Potter" He tensed up at the sound of the Potions Master's voice, he knew the man had been swelling out his magic every now and again and he knew that the bat of the dungeons had figured out that he was wearing a glamour, he just hoped that it wasn't what he was about to bring up.

"In Diagon Alley just a few days ago you were wearing a glamour and you're wearing one again today...any particular reason for that"

Everyone was staring at him intently, especially Draco who sat forward in his seat and rested his elbows on his knees and started boring holes into the side of his head. He could feel more than see most of the adults in the room start to shift uncomfortably in their respective spots even as Harry and Snape were engaged in a staring contest with Voldemort looking between the two intently. Rodolphus and Rabastan had stopped their intense games of Rock, Paper, Scissors and were looking between the three intensely. Fenrir was watching everything in curiosity and could smell the fear, and bitter apprehension running through the teen and the worry and suspicion running through Severus.

Bellatrix and Narcissa were watching everything through the suspicious eyes of the Slytherins they were, they knew something had been off with the Boy-Who-Lived when they had run into him at Diagon Alley but had been unable to pinpoint what it was.

"It's a precaution Professor, makes it easier to go around in public, can't have people following me around all the time now can I. Plus it wouldn't have been to smart for me to meet the Dark Lord and his followers without proper precautions, even if they are just glamoured or not" Harry spoke, trying to muster up as much Gryffindor courage as he could so that he could spit out the words without sounding like an idiot.

"If that is so then you would have no qualms with me removing them then, after all, I imagine that holding them up is putting quite a bit of strain on your magic" The potion's Master sounded reasonable enough but Harry couldn't help the spike of fear that wash thought him as his mind screamed No No No No No No.

"No offense Professor but I would rather keep the glamour"

"Is itty bitty Potter afraid to show his true colors to a bunch of Slytherins" Bellatrix teased, an odd and deranged sort of smile spread over his face as she attempted to bait him, trying to trick him into removing the glamours himself.

Harry's eyes narrowed at the insane witch dangerously, he hadn't forgotten that she was the one to kill his godfather not even a short month ago, it took him all of a minute to realize what she was doing. He wasn't the stupid and naive boy most people thought he was "I only wish to keep the conversation on the topic at hand"

"Why would the conversation get off hand Mister Potter, from what I can tell we are still on the basis of small talk are we not" She shot back, trying to get under his skin.

"The matter really is none of your business given the fact that I have everything related to the matter under control"

"Just remove the bloody glamour Hadrian, they were bound to find out sooner or later" Draco snapped harshly, drawing the attention of the room, Harry had to resist the smile that nearly tugged at his lips at the use of the name he preferred as opposed to his given name only to scowl when Draco alluded to the very topic that Harry was actively trying to avoid.

All of the adults were more than intrigued now, wanting to know the information that the young Malfoy obviously knew but the Slytherin student wasn't paying them any mind, to busy staring down a certain Gryffindor that stared right back at him. The adults could only watch as the two students had a silent conversation, only accompanied by a few random raised eyebrows or head tilts here and there. Draco looked satisfied nodded his head in the direction of his godfather and Harry rolled his eyes before he turned back to the adults and cleared his throat slightly.

"I will remove my glamour but only if the issue is dropped. If the matter isn't dropped then I hold no responsibility for how my magic may react" Sirius had poked at the subject they were broaching multiple times before and had only stopped when his magic reacted to his unstable emotions and caused a vase to shatter and wake Walburga Black's portrait, causing her to make her displeasure known rather loudly even though she had a small bit of a soft spot for Harry. Even Draco knew better than to bring up or talk about the touchy subject unless Harry was the one to start the conversation.

"The issue will be dropped if it does not prove to be harmful to yourself or anyone around you" Snape agreed quickly, he couldn't agree to Harry's demands completely, the boy was one of his students, so he was Severus' responsibility to protect him, not to mention the unbreakable vow he had made to protect the boy to the best of his ability.

Harry sighed as he realized that that was as much of an agreement that he would get from the man and ran a hand through his bird's nest of hair quickly before he took a deep breath to settle his nerves and let his magic recede, closing his eyes as he was met with stiff, shocked silence.

The left side of his face was bruised from the top of his temple to the bottom of his cheekbone. The bruise was days old so his eye was no longer swollen, it didn't look as bad as it had and he had much worse so he didn't see it as that big of a deal, Vernon had only gotten in one other kick to his ribs as far as he remembered and the whole Dursley family paid for the incident with the visions he made them see, show a man his worst fears and even the strongest man would crumple like wet paper.

"I'm afraid this is not the type of issue we can simply drop Mister Potter" Lucius sat in his chair stiffly, doing his best to keep the emotions running through him from showing on his face but Harry could sense the anger rolling through him and see it in the way his eyebrow twitched and the way his index finger tapped against his leg imploringly.

All Harry could really do was smile ruefully as he internally winced at the outcome of the conversation. For a few, brash, seconds he thought about making up some sort of excuse, altering the truth and making it seem like he was clumsy and fell down the stairs, lie on his uncle's behalf and claim that no one had hurt him, claim that it was all one big and unfortunate accident but...he couldn't "I was afraid you would say that"

Harry had to ignore the stares that he was getting from the group of Slytherins, particularly from a certain platinum blonde that looked ready to start hexing anyone who looked at him wrong while in a somewhat uncomposed state. Snape had a rather unreadable expression on his face while Voldemort looked pensive as if he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to say or how to say it.

Bellatrix and Narcissa also wore unreadable expressions on their faces while Rodolphus looked rather angry while his brother seemed to be trying to get a better look at the bruise covering the side of Harry's face. Fenrir also seemed to be trying to get a better look at the damage while simultaneously trying not to growl in frustration.

Thankfully Lucius Malfoy was the first to pull himself together and break the nearly suffocating silence.

"Mister Potter, the other day in Diagon Alley I could not help but notice the books in your possession, one of them being a book on the old family laws and the possibilities an under-aged wizard had if they were ever disowned or emancipated, correct?"

"Yes Sir" He nodded along with his answer warily, wondering where this line of questioning was going to lead.

"Were you looking into those possibilities because of possible abuse in your household" His voice was firm and curious but somewhat...gentle but Harry still balked at the word abuse and cursed himself for not having hidden things better.

"I'm not abused" He snapped harshly. He couldn't find it in himself to admit to the truth of the situation no matter how much he tried. He knew that that's what the treatment he got from the Dursleys was called and that what his relatives did to him was wrong but he had fought all his life to hide it as best as he could. He had never truly admitted it, not to himself or to anyone else. Draco only knew about the bits of Harry's home life from his own guesses and conclusions that Harry never truly confirmed or denied.

There was always an excuse for his latest injuries, he fell down the stairs or played roughly with his cousin. He was clumsy and twisted his ankle while running around at the park, he broke his arm falling out of a tree. Aunt Petunia always had an excuse for everything when one of his teachers asked and would dig her too sharp nails into his too-thin shoulders to get her message across.

Agree with what was said, be a good little freak. Be normal. Those sentiments had stuck with him, even after all these years.

"Mister Potter, we are not going to mock you for your answer, we just ask for your honesty, are you abused by your relatives"

He was taking a pure leap of faith just by being here with these people, right now, trusting his enemies. He expected to be mocked as he slowly inclined his head in confirmation to the question. Cold green eyes stared into bluish-grey ones and Lucius and Harry stared at each other while everyone else watched, not quite sure how to proceed with the dilemma at hand.

"Mister Potter...have you ever told anyone about the situation of your home life" Snape looked like he was trying to wrap his mind around the thought of the Golden Boy being abused but on the inside, he was raging because despite his treatment of the boy in the past years he was still Lily's son and he had made a vow to protect the boy to the best of his ability. Dumbledore had spent years telling everyone that Harry James Potter was somewhere safe, being spoiled rotten by his relatives and being taught all about their world. He thought the boy was safe.

He took his promises seriously and he had made a promise to Lily. The unbreakable vow he made with Dumbledore was just and an extra bit of motivation.

"The Headmaster, back in my 1st year. After fourth-year I stopped asking to be removed from the Dursleys" He spoke stiffly, feeling way beyond uncomfortable about talking about such things with people that have been considered his enemies for the majority of his life in the Wizarding world.

He had stopped asking for things from Dumbledore long ago, he hadn't needed to when he could ask Sirius who was more than willing to tell him the truth and give him a straight answer. Sirius had never expected anything from him in return when like Dumbledore had Sirius was just...there. Not because he had to be but because he wanted to be. But Sirius was gone and Harry was alone again, drowning in the harsh waters of the world without a rescue boat in sight.

"Mister Potter, why did you agree come meet with us today"

Harry met the blood-red eyes of the Dark Lord unflinchingly, the Gryffindor bravery that he was so well known for finally rearing its head and making itself known.

"Because I had the choice to say no" At the stunned and confused looks he received he started to elaborate "From the moment that I got on the Hogwarts Express I was The-Boy-Who-Lived, Savior of the Wizarding World. The light side stuck a wand in my hand and told me it was my job to save them while they hid behind my back, an 11 year old with no training, no knowledge of how this world worked. I never had a choice, to choose what side I was on and over the last few years I started to notice things, I would catch them in a lie at times, Dumbledore and the Order, if I was supposed to do all these great things, wouldn't it have been smart to keep me in the loop instead of getting myself into dangerous situations in an attempt to get information. Wouldn't it have been smart to check on me when I was growing up. I never wanted to be a part of the war, especially if it meant the people closest to me would be in danger."

He sighed and ran a hand through his shaggy mop of hair "The Light side isn't what they say they are so why would the Dark side be what they claim it to be."

The room was a stilted sort of quiet, like everyone was deep in thought, thinking of what the teen with far too many negative experiences at such a young age said, to be able to break up the blanket of silents that fell over everyone like a stifling blanket. Harry had realized that he was aged beyond his years a long time ago, back in the beginning of his fifth year when he had seen thestrals for the first time. When he had started to truly bear the weight of his life and the burdens that came with war. Sirius had been the only one to know and to treat him as such. Everyone else still saw an eleven-year-old far too curious for his own good.

They couldn't exactly do that now that Sirius was dead though, now they all walked on eggshells around him, as if he was going to explode at any moment. Ron and Hermione had insisted on never leaving him alone for more than twenty minutes and most of the teachers wouldn't stop giving him sympathetic looks that grated on his nerves more often than not, back when he was still trying to get Remus to talk to him and for everyone else to give him some space. Back then he had still been feeling rather numb. He hadn't realized that that was when he started changing. That he wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts with the same grin that lit his face in all of the past years.

"Mister Potter I would like to make you an offer that you are more than welcome to refuse if you so wish." Voldemort was giving Harry his undivided attention and where most people would be uncomfortable and fearful under the gaze of the blood-red eyes Harry just felt curious as to what the older wizard wanted to say.

"I would like for us to be alleys Mister Potter, for you to join our cause as part of my inner circle, you along with young Mr. Malfoy and Severus would be my eyes and ears inside of Hogwarts or you can stay out of the war altogether if you so desire it, you will have the freedom to get emancipated or magically adopted and do what you wish to with your life. The only thing required of you would be that you finish your schooling."

Harry's eyes narrowed dangerously in disbelief, it couldn't possibly that easy, nothing in his life was EVER that simple, there had to be a catch, there was always a catch whenever he was offered something so freely. He would rather learn from his past than let himself be fooled into being a pawn again, he would rather live in the muggle world for the rest of his life "....And later on, when I'm done with school?"

"You can do whatever you wish with your life as long as it is befitting of an heir"

"Heir?"

"Your godfather blood adopted you when you were an infant and named you his heir, everything he owned that was not given to others in his will is now yours. You were not at the will reading so I take it that you were not informed of this development" Snape broke in, giving Harry a knowing look.

"No Sir I was not aware of any of this"

"Are you aware of the Potter Lordships?" Lucius spoke up curiously, wondering how a child could go nearly 16 years knowing none of this important information. Lucius himself, being raised how he was and being who he was, found it almost unfathomable for someone to not have told Harry any of the things he had the right to know.

"No Sir I was never told and never had any real reason or the resources to dig into such information"

"We can help you sort that out, a trip to Gringotts will be enough to sort out all the information for you" Narcissa gave him a kind smile, a smile that he had only ever gotten from Mrs. Weasley but even those had held a different feel to them, they were never quite as honest as the one Mrs.Malfoy was offering to him so freely at that moment and he didn't know how he was supposed to feel about that.

"As for the final matter at hand we need to discuss where Mister Potter will be staying." Everyone turned to look at the potions master as he spoke "As a teacher, I refuse to allow one of my students to be abused Mister Potter so w-"

"Hadrien" He couldn't help but interject.

"I beg your pardon"

"Sorry for interrupting Professor but if we are all going to be....allies then I ask that you refer to me as Hadrian"

The man seemed shocked for a moment along with the rest of the group before Severus nodded his head sharply as he picked up where he left off "Very well, It would be imperative that we keep you out of Dumbledore's reach while maintaining a front as to not let on to the fact that you have changed sides. The wards surrounding your relative's house will fall the moment they are no longer your guardians if not sooner"

"If we stage a death eater raid and make it look as if you were captured we can buy ourselves some time while Lucius spends his time at the ministry burying the paperwork about Hadrian's guardianship being transferred. From there we will be able to have you emancipated if you still wish to be. Dumbledore will have no say in the matter if both Hadrian and his relatives give consent especially if he is blood adopted."

"Who will adopt the boy Severus, most of us are convicted and on the run. The only ones suitable enough would be yourself, the Malfoy's, and Our Lord under a false name and identity" Rodolphus pointed out, looking a tad bit remorseful about being the one to poke holes in a seemingly well-constructed plan.

"If we were to take custody of him then Dumbledore would challenge it on the grounds that we are unfit guardians, he will bring up the fact that I bare the dark mark" Lucius cast a regretful look to Harry that the teen ignored, trying to think of anyone that would be able to help in such a situation.

The Weasleys were out of the question and so was Remus...anyone he could think of was either an extreme Dumbledore supporter or unable to take responsibility of him due to ministry reasons.

"Why don't you two take guardianship" Draco was trying to hide his smirk as he spoke, a confident and almost knowing edge was held in his words and Harry couldn't quite ignore the fluttering feeling in his chest before he promptly shoved it aside, he had no need or time for whatever the thing doing flips in his stomach was.

"Draco I don't think-" Narcissa tried to talk but Draco continued on.

"If they take guardianship then Dumbledore won't be able to do anything because Uncle Sev doesn't have the dark mark and the man believes that he is his spy and will 'attempt ' to save Hadrian plus Dumbledore already stood up for Uncle Sev when Our Lord was 'destroyed' If he goes back on his word and judgment now it will make him look bad and make people suspicious"

"It could work" Tom looked to be actually considering the idea when Severus looked at him incredulously.

"There are still things Hadrian needs to know, blood adopting a child is a very permanent thing Marvolo and I won't do it unless he understands every aspect of it and what would be expected of him, he would be our heir" The last part was whispered so quietly that no one aside from Hadrian seemed to hear it and he didn't miss the fact that Severus had not only called the dark lord by his middle name but that he had said OUR. He could see them being something...more but he found the thought impossible to dwell on. His Professors having a love life was something he never wanted to think about...EVER.

"Tell me"

He was speaking before he even thought it through, cutting off the Dark Lords response without meaning to. To his credit the man said to have a fuse shorter then a toddler's finger and a very intense murder complex didn't so much as glare at him, just continued to let him speak, let him spill all of his thought without stopping him.

"If its so important for me to know then tell me"

"Me and Marvolo are married and have been for quite some time, If we become your guardians then you become the heir to both my estates as well as Marvolo's regardless of if we blood adopt you or not, once your heir then you will inherit the wizarding world in some form, you will also be getting a new set of godparents. Aside from the aspect of the family, you would be getting is the family you will be losing. We ask that you refrain from associating with anyone seen as an enemy of our cause, like some of the Weasleys and other well known Dumbledore supporters, there is also the matter of your parents"

"What about them" Harry spoke stiffly.

"Hadrian, It is no secret that I murdered your parents and tried to kill you as well that night in Godric's Hollow, I won't apologize for it but I will tell you that I regret how that night turned out and that I am sorry for what you have suffered because of it," Tom spoke. He had never intended for things to go so wrong that night in Godric's Hollow, he didn't mean to damn himself to wander the earth as a wraith for nearly a decade and he definitely hadn't meant to damn a magical child to the life that Hadrian had to endure.

For the first time in what felt like years Hadrian didn't feel anger or bitter resentment or any of the other negative emotions that plagued him these days, especially the ones he felt when he thought about his parents. He felt...almost grateful...for the brutal honesty. Taking a moment to gather his thoughts he shrugged as casually as he could manage and spoke simply.

"It was war Sir people did what they had to do to survive."

Everyone seemed to be staring at him and it was unnerving as all hell, especially Bellatrix's unwavering glances. It seemed like she was observing him, trying to crawl into his skull and pick through every memory and thought that ever went through his mind. In all honesty, it made him more uneasy than the death glares that Tom gave him every time they had faced each other in the past. Rabastan and Rodolphus seemed to be having a telepathic conversation consisting of raised eyebrows and slight head nods here and there and it reminded Harry so much of the twins that he wanted to laugh. Fenrir looked disinterested by the whole conversation in general but it was obvious that he was paying very close attention by the way he kept casting glances at the Dark Lord here and there, wondering what he was gonna say.

This was shaping out to be the weirdest day Hadrian Potter had ever had.

\---------- ---------- ----------

He didn't return to his relatives that night. The afternoon was odd, to say the least, but hadn't been unpleasant. There were plenty of nights that he could remember at the Dursley's that hadn't been half as nice as the peaceful manor was

In the back of his mind he knew he could get used to it, no matter how much the dominant part of his brain denied the very idea.

Lucius had disappeared off to the ministry to draw up guardianship papers and wouldn't be returning till later that night. Harry spent the afternoon in the company of Draco and the Lestrange brothers, all sitting in various parts of the library. Narcissa and Bellatrix were off somewhere doing who knows what while Tom and Severus disappeared. Severus said he had to go and prepare for the upcoming school year while Tom ordered the Lestrange brothers to stay and 'Supervise' before he himself left on what Harry assumed was 'Evil Dark Lord' business and took Fenrir with him, who was supervising who Harry wasn't really sure.

He was ninety percent sure it was Draco.

The brothers, when they realized neither Harry nor Draco wouldn't indulge them in their shenanigans and strange conversations, had settled for playing a game of Wizards Chess while Harry and Draco both grabbed books from the rather impressive collection the Malfoy library had to offer and started to read. Draco sat to the right of the couch on the floor in front of the fireplace and was completely immersed in the book he was reading about Charms and other nifty little spells that weren't taught to them at Hogwarts. While Harry himself had little to no interest in the book he was reading.

Harry sat on the middle cushion of the couch with a book in his lap. He hadn't paid attention to what he was grabbing when he took it off the shelf and was currently staring blankly at the same page he had been looking at nearly an hour ago while he tried to process his thoughts. He couldn't wrap his brain around the idea of never returning to his relatives, something he had dreamed of for years but never thought would actually happen.

For years he had wished that someone would come to save him and take him away and care for him the way that he knew an adult was supposed to care for a child under their care. He wished that one of his teachers would figure out that the bruises on his face and broken glasses weren't from him and Dudley playing too rough. For one of Uncle Vernon's coworkers to notice that Harry was the one in the kitchen cooking and not simply helping the way his Aunt Petunia claimed. He had hoped and wished and dreamed for years on end until one day he had met a giant of a man who was supposed to take him somewhere safe. To a place where people would care about the unfair treatment he was facing.

Then...one day somewhere towards the end of his fourth year, after Cedric's death, he stopped hoping for freedom and started wishing for death.

A simple and hopefully quick end to the pathetic excuse of a life that he had been given and as his summer after fourth year dragged on and his treatment got worse he embraced the dark thoughts surrounding him.

He thought he would die there.

But now, in less than 4 hours, he was leaving behind everything he knew. On a good day, he was unable to figure out the emotions that were going through him but right there, at that moment he felt numb, after weeks of growing anger, bitterness, betrayal, and loneliness he felt cold, unsure of what or even how he was supposed to feel in that moment. He would never return to his 'loving' Aunt and Uncles or number 4 Privet Drive. It was decided that he would be staying with Severus and Marvolo because that's what they said to call them and what in Merlin's name was happening to his life.

They would be having dinner at Malfoy Manor and afterward he and Severus would floo back to Riddle Manor in Little Hangleton, somewhere in Wales where Harry would be staying for the remainder of the summer and every summer after that until he was seventeen or till they realized that taking him in was a mistake and decided to either kick him out or if Harry was really unlucky then maybe they would decide to kill him after all.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Draco nudging his leg to get his attention, his shoulder brushing against Hadrian's leg from his position on the floor where he sat with his legs folded under him like a pretzel and his book now closed in his lap as he looked up at Hadrian curiously laced with something akin to worry.

"Are you alright Hadrian, you've been staring at the same page as if it held the secrets to every mystery in the world" Sharp grey eyes met his, daring Hadrian to lie to the other boy that was fiercely determined to make sure his favorite Gryffindor was alright.

"Yeah...I was just thinking is all, did you need something"

"Mother will be expecting us in the dining room soon, we need to go wash up" The Slytherin prince looked skeptical about his answer but didn't comment on it and settled for changing the conversation and allowing Harry to get away with not really answering the question in depth because he knew if it was truly important then the raven-haired teen would tell him.

"Oh alright" He closed the book he was holding with great care.

"Alright, shall we get a move on then?" Draco asked rhetorically as he stood up and dusted himself off before shuffling off towards the shelf he had pulled his book from and took care in putting it back into the right place as Harry did the same. Rabastan and Rodolphus were waiting for them outside of the doors of the library and walked a few steps behind them as they made their way to the Dining room. Harry couldn't help but be reminded of Crabbe and Goyal for the briefest of moments. Narcissa, Bellatrix, and Severus were already seated at the table while Fenrir's, Lucius's and To-Marvolo's seats were empty.

Narcissa and Severus sat next to each other at one end of the table and Bellatrix sat across from Harry himself at the other end. Rodolphus sat across from Rabastan who was on Harry's left and Draco sat next to Harry on his right, closest to the two whispering adults at the other end of the table. The conversation was as light as it had been at lunch but now it held a more teasing atmosphere as Rabastan and Rodolphus took it upon themselves to keep the mood light and joked around as they talked. Narcissa and Severus seemed to be having a very serious conversation between the two of them though and Harry couldn't help but wonder what had them so ensnared.

"So Hadrian, tell me, what happened to your face" Conversation at the table seemed to still, even Severus and Narcissa looked over from their whispered conversation to look at them, next to him Draco winced at the bluntness of the question and glared none too subtly at his Aunt.

"I ran into a doorway" His voice was dripping with sarcasm but he offered no other answer as he continued to eat the food on his plate. He was more like picking at it since he didn't have much of an appetite after lunch but wanted to keep up appearances. Just because he was a starved teenager that could no longer stomach large meals didn't mean he had to act like it.

"Oh of course that's what happened, silly me. So tell me about your relatives, Muggles are they not" She still sounded nonchalant as she spoke and ate a fork full of vegetables from her plate as she looked at him, noticing the way the corner of his lips twitched as he scowled at her and stabbed a bit of the food on his plate, probably with much more force than what was necessary.

"They are like any other family" He wasn't lying in a way. There had been a time when the Dursleys had achieved their dreams of being completely happy and normal, it was a long time ago before he started primary school when he had thought that everything they did to him and made him do was just things that they were supposed to do, like how he was supposed to do all of the cooking, and washing, and cleaning. Him, responding to the name Freak and sleeping in his cupboard was normal, his normal.

That every other family in the neighborhood was supposed to be like that.

"Oh, maybe we could meet them soon, after all, they'll need to sign over their rights so that our lords can properly take custody of you" He could see what she was doing and he could admit that she was clever as all hell, to smart for her own good with just as much insanity to match.

This woman had killed one of the last people he had considered family, she was the one to kill his godfather, the one to give him a large portion of the nightmares that plagued him at night. If he were a better person he would tell her to stay the hell away from Surrey Little Whinging all together but something in him was split in two. He loathed the Dursleys with everything in his being and part of him wished that they died a slow and painful death as penance for the hell they called his childhood and yet at the same time the smaller part, putting up a weaker fight argued that he didn't want their deaths on his conscience, that they were terrible people but didn't deserve to die for it. And so he was left with a dilemma, allow the women to rile him up or keep his cool

In the end he smiled as he lied "I'm sure they would be delighted to meet you"

The icy feel of the room seemed to diminish then and Draco pulled him into a quiet conversation about the upcoming school year, vowing that he refused to allow Harry to get himself into the dangerous situations he had gotten himself into with the help of the foolish Gryffindor buffoons that dared to call themselves his friend while simultaneously nagging him about the fact that he barely touched the food on his plate. Harry couldn't bring himself to defend the people that he once considered to be his friends, his family, no one could blame him for not defending them since they had abandoned him after all. Now that he thought about it Luna, Nevil, and the twins were the only ones to stand by him unflappably through everything no matter the situation.

Soon enough everyone finished their dinners and deserts and went back to doing what they had been occupied with before dinner. Draco and himself retreated back to the library to talk some more as well as look at different books that Draco demanded Harry read. Books on etiquette and the traditions he would be expected to know about as an heir and future lord. The platinum blond even through in some books about the dark arts that he thought Hadrian would benefit from. nearly an hour passed before it was time for Harry to leave. Snape had sent Rimly to notify them of their departure and notify them that Snape was waiting in the drawing-room. Harry had startled at the loud crack that echoed through the large library but thanked the overly happy house elf. Draco had the house-elf take the books he had picked out for Hadrien taken to Riddle manor before he put away the books he and Harry had been reading. Draco insisted on seeing Harry off and he didn't bother arguing with the Slytherin Ice Prince.

It wasn't like he would have tried very hard anyway, he would never admit it of his own free will but he had always rather enjoyed Draco's company.

He enjoyed the time they spent together in secret, sneaking around the castle in the middle of the night. Sneaking off to the room of requirement or out to the lake or anywhere where they could get some time away from being The Gryffindor Golden Boy and the Slytherin Ice Prince. They would sneak off when all of their dorm mates were asleep and go to the room of requirement where the room provided them with places to sit and books to read and even a place to sleep more often than not when they were too drained to go back to their dorm rooms, it was a place where they could be themselves. A place they never wanted to leave.

They had woken up plenty of times in the same room and had no issues sharing a bed when the room decided that they needed to share a bed instead of giving them to separate beds like all the other nights they decided against going back to their dorms. They often woke up as a tangle of limbs when they slept like that but neither of them ever mentioned it and if he was honest, he was not going to complain about the situation. They had both been caught a couple of times trying to sneak back to their dorm rooms but as luck would have it Draco usually always got caught by Snape who never did more than dock points while Harry usually got caught by McGonagall or another teacher who let it slide with nothing more than a deduction of points because Harry was having such a 'hard' time.

Either way he never heard Draco complain about it either.

Rabastan and Rodolphus lead them back to the drawing-room they had been in previously that evening and they both nodded their heads at him in goodbye and Rodolphus opened the drawing-room door for himself and Draco, opting to stay out in the hallway and guard the door against any death eaters that might have been wondering Malfoy Manor for whatever unknown reason they might have. Only Narcissa and Severus were in the room this time around. Severus seemed to have just been finishing up a firecall if the way the fireplace was crackling was anything to go by, the little hisses and pops sounded almost angry much like they had when Harry had talked to Sirius in the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. He couldn't help but watch the fire die out with trepidation

The two adults seemed to be saying their goodnights so Harry and Draco did the same, shaking each other's hands with matching smirks, even as Draco had to ignore the strange almost tingling feeling in his chest when he saw Harry's grin, he wrote it off as the possibility that he was getting sick as he and Harry released hands.

"You have used a floo system before correct" Severus sounded exactly as he had when he was teaching a potions class, strict and cold, demanding that you not screw up and blow the place to smithereens. He held out an intricately decorated box towards his new charge and Harry noted that it held floo powder.

"Yes sir" He took a small handful of the powder as the box was offered to him and let Snape direct him in much like Molly Weasley had when he used the floo for the first time before his second year, remembering with an internal wince that the first time he ever used the floo network that he had ended up at Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley.

"This floo works differently you simply need to think of where you wish to go but you will need to say the password which is..." He went on and on, telling Harry anything he thought would be imperative for him to know before he flooed himself through the fireplace.

By the time the potions master was done with his explanation Draco was making exasperated faces behind his godfather's back that had both Hadrian and the Malfoy matriarch struggling to stifle their laughs. If Severus knew what was going on then he was great at not showing it as he nodded at Harry to proceed.

He nodded his head in goodbye to Mrs.Malfoy who smiled at him and sent a smirk to Draco who returned it with one of his own.

"See you in a few days Hadrian"

The fire roared to life around him and cut off his chance for a proper response so he said the password as loudly and as clearly as he could manage -Hallows- before he was effectively swallowed by the green flame and stumbling out the other side as gracefully as a newborn deer that had yet to take its first steps. His ribs twinged as his knees buckled under him and before he knew it he was no longer stumbling but falling forward.

Before he could process that he was even falling a pair of strong arms encased in black robe sleeves were wrapping around him and holding him up, helping him to his feet and not letting go until he was well balanced and was able to lock his knees under him again it took him only moments for his brain to realize who it was that caught him and a few more seconds for his body to catch up to his mind and allow for himself to push himself away from the figure hastily as the fireplace roared to life again.

He had never been very fond of people touching him especially if he didn't know them or was unable to see them. It had taken a long time to get used to Hermione and the Weasleys touching him and Draco had been no exception. The touches he was used to had always been harmful and anything less than that had been foreign to him. Pulling away he righted himself and took several steps back as he glared at the Dark Lord just as Snape was stepping through the fireplace looking far more composed than Harry had been when he stepped through, an eyebrow raised as he looked between Harry and Marvolo noticing the soot covering the teens face and outer robes.

He had heard plenty of times from Molly at Order meetings that Harry did not do well when it came to traveling by portkey, apparition, or floo travel. He resisted the urge to smile at his lover and their new charge because he found the image in front of him amusing. Being the Slytherin he was though it was easy for him to keep his face blank even though mirth was dancing in his eyes.

"It's getting late Hadrian, we will show you to your room and we will discuss everything in the morning, give you a chance to process everything that took place this afternoon." Severus spoke smoothly as the potions master looked between Harry and Marvolo to see if either of them were going to protest

Hadrian finally stopped glaring at Marvolo when Severus started talking and turned to look at his Professor-soon to be guardian- and nodded his head as he did his best to dust off the soot covering his robe, incredibly grateful that none of it had gotten on some of the only clothes that fit him properly and looked presentable. With a frustrated sigh, he waved his hand and was rather happy with himself when the soot marks disappeared while both of the present Slytherins looked at him in shock.

"What" his voice came out in a snap but he couldn't really help it. He hated being stared at almost just as much as he hated being touched by people he didn't know or trust.

"Mister Pot- Hadrian....are you aware that you just performed wandless and wordless magic, something that is very rare for a child your age to accomplish" Lily's child never ceased to amaze him.

"I was not aware that it wasn't common...can I get into trouble with the ministry for using it"

"Technically no, it would be written off as accidental magic but being who you are and given the...enemies you have in the Ministry it would be very likely that anything you do will be examined under a microscope" Marvolo answered.

Harry nodded along with what the older wizard said as he looked around the room that he and Severus had flooed into in appreciation. It was a sitting room decorated in deep royal blue painted walls and black leather couches adored with white throw pillows with blue, green, and silver designs stitched into them. Elegant light fixtures adored the walls and two black book cases stood out against the blue of the walls, each shelf was filled to the brim with books. One large was adored with a large window with blue and silver curtains. It was easy to tell that during the day the room received a lot of natural light, something that Harry appreciated.

Harry could see himself spending a lot of time here in the future.

He followed them when they motioned for him to and did his best to keep up with them and their large strides as they lead him along the hallways and into what they told him was the East wing, their personal wing that they stayed in and gave very few people access to, where Harry would be staying if he decided that he would be okay with them being his guardians permanently. They pointed to the room that was down at the very end of the hall and informed him that it was their personal room and if he ever needs them during the night then that was where they could find them.

They informed him that he could call for Tipley in the morning so that he could be shown to the dining room or if he should need them or anything during the night. They also mentioned the fact that there were certain death eaters that often wandered the premises that he should avoid at all costs until they could ensure his safety. They wished him goodnight and watched him enter his new room before retreating back to the sitting room.

They felt that a glass of fire whiskey was appropriate after the day they had gone through.

Harry felt like he could breathe again now that he was alone with no one watching his every move and took it as an opportunity to observe the room he was given. It was impressive and unlike anything, he was really used to. The room was pine green with dark stained furniture consisting of a four-poster Queen bed and a comfortable looking armchair in front of a lite fireplace that was keeping the room warm and comfortable. The wardrobe matched the rest of the furniture and when he opened it he found it full of clothes that looked suspiciously like his size. There was an eloquent set of double doors that lead to a balcony that left the opportunity for lots of sunlight to come into the room. The bathroom was just as exquisite as the rest of the room and he had trouble believing that the room was all his even though he knew that it was.

He took the opportunity given to him and took a long shower and changed into a pair of plush sleep pants and a pair of boxers that both resized themselves to fit him as soon as they settled on his hips. He forewent a sleeping shirt and cast a wandless silencing charm to avoid waking anyone should he have a nightmare. He set his wand and glasses aside on the nightstand to his left before laying on his back and staring up at the slightly blurry green bed canopy with blue stitching.

His mind was far too awake and active, making it hard for him to fall asleep right away so instead of pushing the thoughts away, he started to think about everything that happened and how to feel about it. It was something he always did in the quiet of the night when he couldn't sleep, he took the time to figure out his emotions and to simply enjoy the quiet that was surrounding him in the dark room. It hadn't been a technique that worked as of late but that didn't stop him from trying every night in an attempt to sort himself out. The darkness and silence were perfect for such things and had always been comforting to him, it made him feel like he was at home in his cupboard under the stairs, the only place he was ever safe growing up.

Later on he would realize that he didn't remember falling asleep.

He woke up with a heavy weight on his chest but otherwise he was better rested then he had been all summer, having only woken up once during the night from a nightmare it had been fine though because for some reason that was beyond him he had been able to fall back asleep easily. He still woke feeling refreshed...aside from the fact that he had to use the bathroom, but something cold was pressing against his chest and stomach and his left leg, making it hard for him to get up and it irritated the bruises adorning his torso. Before he could think about what he was doing he was reaching over and grabbing his glasses from the nightstand and angering the thing on his chest, causing it to hiss loudly at him...wait...hiss?

It took everything in him to move slowly to look at the thing on top of him only to be met with dark eyes and a forked tongue.

Nagini

If Hadrian was anyone else he would be panicking at even the thought of having Voldemort's familiar sitting on his chest and very capable of biting him and swallowing him whole without anyone being the least bit worried about where he was for the next couple of hours. He knew that there was only one thing that would save him from being eaten if the snake decided he made a good snack. He once again felt grateful for the fact that for some unknown reason he could speak the language of the snakes.

_He started talking in parseltongue._

__

__

"Good Morning" He spoke cautiously, not wanting to piss off the giant snake currently attempting to crush his ribs by sitting on him.

"Good Morning little hatchling...i wasss unaware there wasss anothh-er ssspeeaker in the housssse"

_"Do you mind if I sstand, I have to ussse the bathhroom"_

She gave the snake equivalent to an indignant huff but slithered off of his torso and legs and settling herself down on the warm spot he vacated as he stood up. He went to the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of black slacks, and a deep red button-down shirt along with a fresh pair of boxers. He spent the next thirty minutes showering, poking and prodding at his bruised ribs and stomach, getting dressed, and trying to tame his messy birds nest of hair.

When he left the bathroom Nagini was still in his vacated spot but now she was rolling around in his sheets much like a dog would, he couldn't help but snicker quietly to himself as he called out for Tipley. She came into the room with a loud pop that instantly had Nagini hissing in displeasure as she slithered off his bed and onto the floor, opting to wrap herself around his body till the majority of her body rested on his shoulders and torso, she was rather heavy but it felt no different from when he had to lug fertilizer sacks around the yard because Petunia wanted the garden to look healthier this year so that she could make the neighbors jealous.

Tipley watched the snake with a hint of fright, her large floppy ears tucked back tightly against her head as she hurried out of the door to show him to the dining room, the house-elf was nice enough if not bursting with nervous energy. she pointed out different pieces of architecture here and there and told him where certain hallways lead. Ultimately she reminded him of Dobby. She disappeared with a polite goodbye and a startling pop after leading him to the large dining room doors. He had to ignore Nagini's teasing hiss in his ear as he took a deep breath to steal his nerve before he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The room was just as grand as the rest of the manner but that wasn't what held his attention.

His attention was on the dark couple eating at the large elegant table as they shared a copy of the daily profit between the two of them, pointing out this and that in an article that seemed to be about Voldemort, Harry, and everything that happened at the Ministry. Of course they both looked up at him when he entered the room and looked alarmed when they noticed the giant snake wrapped around his shoulders and abdomen. The dark green snakes scales standing out starkly against the red shirt he was wearing.

Harry himself froze at the looks and carefully untangled himself from the snake without even being told to, ignoring her displeased hisses that she would be on the floor if she had wanted to be. He straightened back up once she was safely on the floor and looked at both of the adults staring at him. They both looked different from when they did yesterday, like they had nowhere to be anytime soon. Like Voldemort wasn't a big scary murdering Dark Lord. Snape himself looked as if he were lighter, less stressed and displeased, like he didn't have class plans to make or have to worry about children blowing each other up into smithereens in his classroom.

"Come sit down Hadrian, breakfast was just put on the table" Hadrian nearly startled at the voice of the Dark Lord as he gestured to the seat on his left but did as he was told and took the offered seat, not at all bothered by the giant python that slithered up the back of his chair and settling itself into his lap. Neither adult seemed to mind or attempt to reprimand the snake and he didn't really mind having the creature in his lap so he let her be as he sat and watched the other occupants of the table curiously, observing their movements and trying to get a feel for their routine.

He watched for a moment as the other two started to fill up there plates before he started to do the same thing. He didn't recognize quite a few of the dishes on the table so he opted to just get the things that he knew were familiar to him. Eggs and bacon and toast with what he was ninety percent sure was juice. He kept his eyes trained on his plate as he ate so he never noticed the displeased looks the adults cast his way. 

They weren't pleased that the already small teen was eating so little but they decided that it would be best to say anything this time. Not yet anyway.

During the meal he ignored the small talk his professor and his former enemy made and opted to pick at the food on his plate. He never had much of an appetite during the summer due to stress and the dozens of other text book physiological issues that he probably had. He spent most of the time picking at his bacon and having hissed conversations that had the other occupants at the table staring at him wide-eyed till he noticed and looked up at them, expectantly.

"What" His voice came out snappishly. He loathed being stared at with a passion that burned inside of him like a dying star.

Violent and sudden and bright and nearly impossible to miss if you were close enough.

Snape looked pale, with an expression close to the one he had on when he had first heard his student speak the language of the snakes back in his second year. Like he was wondering if Harry was up to something that could involve getting expelled or if what he was doing was just the bad luck of a good kid that didn't know what he was doing or how it would change the rest of his life in ways that his twelve year old mind couldn't even imagine.

"Your a parselmouth" Voldemort looked like he had been blown out of his element, staring at his new charge like he was a solved equation that he still didn't know the solution to.

"Yes... I am" Hadrian answered uncertainty, not sure if there was really a good answer to the question.

Tom seemed to consider his answer for a moment before he nodded his head and ruffled the Daily Prophet in his hand as he went back to his reading "New rule, no parseltongue at the table."

Harry nodded his head for a moment with a furrowed brow before he went back to somewhat eating his breakfast slowly, not actually eating it as much as he was pushing the food around his plate while his mind was caught deep in thought. He did his best to not think about how absurd his life had become. How everything turned from as normal as they could before him being who he was to absolute insanity in the span of less than three days. He really tried to keep his thoughts from being so sour but he couldn't stop thinking about what lead to this. The main cause of all his anger and hate and despair and every other melodramatic seeming emotion that ran had been running through his all summer, caused all of the self-loathing and cold anger and bitter hate. Every self destructive thought and shameful memory.

He could pinpoint each emotion to two things

Voldemort and Sirius

Without Voldemort his parent would still be alive and he wouldn't have grown up thinking that they killed themselves in a car crash to get away from him. He wouldn't have been raised by the Dursleys If his parents hadn't been killed then Sirius would have never been sent to Azkaban and Hadrian would have grown up knowing the people that others claimed him to be so much alike. Voldemort was the start of it all, the thing to change his future forever in the most irreversible and unimaginable ways.

And here he was having breakfast with the man and his husband.

Both said adults were having a silent conversation about the teens atrocious eating habits while also keeping up a conversation about one of the articles in the daily profit, an article talking about the fact that the dark lord was in fact back. They talked of how Fudge was right to resign after he ignored all of the signs that the dark lord was back. They didn't talk about what they would do to turn these events in the Dark's Sides favor like they usually would have because Harry was right there and the teen didn't want anything to do with the war.

Breakfast ended on a rather awkward note with Marvolo, taking Nagini with him, retreating to his study to work on missives. Severus went to his private potions lab to do something or another. Before the potions professor left the dining room he had leveled Harry with a passive face. The two had just stared at each other for several...agonizingly long moments before the potions master muttered quietly

"Feel free to explore the manor but do not disturb Marvolo while he is working. Should you get lost or if your in need of something you can call for Tipley, you'll also find that the portraits can be rather helpful"

Before Hadrian even had a chance to respond Snape was striding out of with his robes billowing behind him the way they always did. Now that there was no one watching him Hadrian had no qualms about pushing away his mostly full plate. He waited a few moments to ensure that Snape was a good distance was a good distance away before he pushed away from the table. He left the dining room and did exactly what Snape said he could feel free to do. If he really was going to be staying with two people that hated him more then anything then he wanted to find places he could hide when they inevitable lost their tempers with him.

He ended up wandering around the manor for hours because he did in fact get lost around the end of lunch time. He did in fact enlist the help of some of the portraits and they lead him to the library. He had thanked each and every one of the helpful portraits and when he entered the library he found that it was even more massive than the one the Malfoy's possessed. He was quietly amazed as he looked around the massive shelves, fascinated by the extensive collection of both Muggle and wizarding texts. Some were far older than he could even imagine but it was obvious that the books were all well cared for and immaculate. Several books didn't even seem to be in English.

He couldn't help but pull some of the books out of their places and bring them with him to a large and comfortable looking sitting area in front of a large, ornate fireplace. He made himself comfortable and started reading. He read about laws and wizarding traditions that were generally followed by pureblood families. He read about different charms and spells that he would have been taught if Hogwarts was capable of hiring teachers that were competent enough to actually teach. Professor Binns and his constant teachings of the goblin wars and the awful string of Defense Against The Dark Arts Teachers was proof enough.

He knew that Draco usually had a tutor during the summers and he practiced with his mother's wand when he could and a lot of the other Slytherins did similar things. So did many of the pureblood students in the other houses. Maybe perhaps...If he did end up staying with Snape and Riddle then he could get a proper tutor. He had never been good at making vows to himself, had never been able to follow through but this time would be different.

He had no one to make promises or excuses to, not anymore now that he was abandoned by just about everyone that he had once thought of as family.

So he would start making new promises to himself and this time he would keep them because he deserved the things that he wanted from time to time, he swore to himself that he would work harder on his school work and this year he would. He wouldn't allow himself to be worn thin trying to do things for other people that couldn't have cared less. He wouldn't try so hard to prove himself to people who would simply abandon him the next time something happened. His fourth year was still fresh in his mind and so were the promises that were made to him by Molly and Dumbledore, and Remus and Hermione and Ron, empty promises that were never to be fulfilled.

He sat there reading well into the afternoon. He read books about dark artifacts and spells that were only considered dark because people didn't like how they worked or because they were created by someone who had a dark purpose for them. Some spells were pretty similar to others and were branded as dark and that made Harry all the more curious to look into them. A lot of them were interesting and made him more interested in the darker spells that he never would have even considered reading about back before his fifth year.

He got so lost in the numerous books that he missed lunch without even noticing that so much time was passing. He got threw several books and developed new understanding for the darker side of magic. From there he dove into a book about wizarding culture. He was well into the book when he was nearly startled out of his skin by someone clearing their throat behind him.

Severus stood a few steps away from where Hadrian and hunkered down, there were small stacks of books surrounding him on all sides that he hadn't put away yet. Books about etiquette and old wizarding traditions and laws and spells that had long since fallen out of practice. Things that only pureblood families still taught and practiced. The dark-haired man stared at the teen with a raised eyebrow and his arms crossed over his chest. Of all the places that he expected to find his and his husbands new charge the library was not it.  
Potter might not have been the spoiled brat that Severus had though he was but that didn't mean he still wasn't the mischievous, clever, curious, sneaky, trouble magnet of a teenager that was constantly getting into things that he shouldn't have been anywhere near. He expected Hadrien to be anywhere but the library, perhaps off in the gardens or in one of the back hallways of the manor or somewhere digging through the dark artifacts that Marvolo still had yet to get rid of like Severus asked him to.

"You missed lunch Hadrian, it's time for dinner" The potions master's low drawl did not sound pleased.

All Hadrian could do was stare owlishly, in his mind time simply couldn't have possibly passed so quickly. Standing up quickly from where he had been sitting cross-legged on the floor surrounded by stacks of books, dusting himself off and straightening out his shirt he looked around at the area he had been occupying someone bashfully.

"Sorry Professor i guess i got a tad...carried away"

"Yes well, one can often be swept away when in pursuit of knowledge" He responded "Leave those there, they'll still be there for when you should wish to return to them, Marvolo is waiting."

He swept out of the library just as silently as he had come in and Hadrian felt like he was practically running in an attempt to keep up with the Hogwarts Professor.

Dinner was much less awkward than breakfast had been, the conversation was pleasant and light, and so domestic that he wanted to laugh because who in their right mind would think that Severus Snape was married to the Dark Lord and considering adopting a child, Harry Potter no less. If Sirius were there to hear it he would have laughed himself silly. They kept the conversation away from things like the war and other depressing topics that could otherwise spark an argument or ill feelings.

"There is one issue I would like to discuss with you Hadrian" There goes the light atmosphere

"And that is..."

"Tomorrow, we will be making a trip to Gringotts and you will be seeing a healer as well as starting lessons to prepare you for your future lordship"

"Oh is that all" He spoke sarcastically as he pushed some of the food on his plate around with his fork.

Marvolo ignored his sarcasm even as Severus seemed to watch them in amusement.

"As the Heir to the Potter and Black lordships alone you must act with respect and decorum, when you come of age by legal and birth right you take over the Black and Potter assets, in order to prevent you from being swept back under Dumbledore's control you must either be emancipated in both the magical and muggle world or you could be adopted and that new bond would sever any legal muggle bonds you hold with your relatives."

"The only logical and most executable response would be to do as the young heir Malfoy suggested. A magical adoption. We would be provided with an heir to several lines the most prominent being Prince, Slytherin, Potter, Black, and Peverell."

"If we were to follow through with this plan you would need to learn how to act within various formal settings, given that you would need to start attending Wizengamot sessions, and other social events that any lords, ladies, and heirs would be expected to attend"

Harry frowned down at his plate for a moment an uneasy sort of dread filling up in his stomach that he had only truly felt in his fourth year.

"Does that mean I'll have to dance"

Hadrien refused to acknowledge the fact that both of the older men looked like they were ready to burst into fits of laughter.


	2. Make It Stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer passed far quicker than what it should have

The trip to Gringotts had been informative if nothing else. They gathered copious amounts of paperwork that Severus and Marvolo would have to do and went over so many different topics that much of it went over Hadrian's head because of just how overwhelmed he got with the information getting thrown at him and his lack of knowledge about the generalized subjects. The fact that Dumbledore had sealed his parent's will, sent him to live with the Dursley's against his parents wishes, the very fact that Severus Snape had been named as a possible guardian had raised enough questions alone. Throw in the fact that Dumbledore hadn't ever thought to use the Potter Will as proof to clear Sirius of the crimes he hadn't committed it all seemed misplaced and almost...surreal.

The knowledge that Dumbledore had manipulated and pulled strings in so many different aspects of his life was disturbing.

He had truly checked out of the conversation when Griphook had told him about the funds constantly being transferred out of his vault and into various accounts, family heirlooms, books, properties, all of it was being squandered away without his knowledge or permission and it was absolutely infuriating to the point where his magic had lashed out and broken a rather nice looking decorative vase. He was being taken advantage of by the very people who had for years claimed to care for him, claimed to be his friends, his family. The only person who didn't seem to be in on the theft was Sirius and the older Weasley children and that was mostly because there seemed to be no record to indicate that they were involved.

He couldn't tell if Remus was involved but the very thought of it hurt deeply, Hadrian couldn't think of what he would do if he found out that one of his last links to his parents and godfather had knowingly hurt him in such a way was unbearable to even think about.

The only comfort that was brought to him was when he was assured that all of the money and property would be returned to him, simply because people wished to stay out of Azkaban.

Marvolo had collected whatever paperwork that they would inevitably need Lucius to bury within the ministry and they left. He was greatful when they were able to leave to Malfoy Manor instead of going back to Riddle Manor. He needed the company that an empty Riddle Manor was not what he needed. Apparition was not his favorite form of travel but Severus managed to wrap a hand our his upper arm and steady him before he fell and Narcissa and Rabastan were quick to great them and had no problems shoeing Hadrian off to go find Draco while she took Marvolo and Severus off with her to wherever she pleased.

He found Draco in his room laying across his bed and studying just as Narcissa had said he would be.

They sat on the blond's bed until dinner just talking, they talked about school and about what happened at the bank and Hadrian watched on in amusement as the blond went on and on about how he despised the so called light side before they moved on about how Draco wanted to completely revamp the raven haired boys wardrobe. He talked about colors and styles and fits and what he just knew would look fantastic on Hadrian. His skin town would make this color look fabulous and that color would make his eyes pop and how he should let his hair grow out simply so that Draco and Daphne could style it because apparently his hair would look amazing if it looked less like a bird's nest.

His answer was to simply say that he would think about it as they left for the dining room. He could barely keep down his dinner or hold a steady conversation during the meal. When they went back to Riddle manor for the night he was unable to manage sleep and spent the majority of the night sitting in a comfortable dark blue wing chair, angled towards the balcony, just observing the night sky as he was consumed by his thoughts.

Once the paperwork was filed away a couple days later all that would be left to do was the adoption ceremony and than no one would be able to truly control Hadrian again, legally on paper Severus and Marvolo would be his guardians and would have legal say over him but when they had been doing the paperwork they had been quick to assure him that they did not wish to stifle his free will, that he would still get plenty of say in what happened in his life as long as he was responsible with those choices.

Even then he was felt with more questions than answers, Severus had been named as a possible guardian by his mother's request, that meant _she knew him_. She would have trusted Severus with her child's life in the event that something happened to her, _they had been close before she died_. The very idea of having someone around him who would be able to tell him about his Mother was exhilarating and anxiety inducing at the same time. All he ever got told was how great his father was. How he was smart and strong and a true Gryffindor. 

Flashes of his third year and his murmured conversation with Sirius passed through his mind _"I expect your tired of hearing this, but you look so like your father, except your eyes, you have your mothers eyes"_

No one ever really talked much about his mum and finding people who were close to her -finding people were willing to talk about her and didn't get side tracked and start talking about his father- wasn't easy. Sirius had known her well but he was gone now and Remus hadn't tried to contact him since the DOM happened. He would rather kill Peter Pettigrew than have a civil conversation with him about anything even remotely personal... so he thought maybe Severus could tell him about his mother, surely it would be a good place start closing the rift between them that had been forming since his first year.

His mind constantly drifted back to dinner as well. Dinner was a quiet affair that consisted of the Malfoys, the Lestrange Brothers, Marvolo and Severus. Greyback was who knows were and Bellatrix was off somewhere in the manor doing something that everyone knew better than to ask about. The conversations mostly revolved around Draco's extravagant plans for Hadrian's make over and the etiquette lessons that Narcissa and the Lestrange brothers would be in charge of giving him because the Malfoy matriarch had the etiquette down to an art form while the twin brothers would be best at teaching the young teen about lordships and the history behind the families The three adults would be able to spend the most amount of time teach these things since the brothers were wanted criminals and couldn't really leave the Manor and Narcissa rarely had any work to do these days at St. Mungo's, They also wanted to offer their expertise on spells and subjects of a darker matter that they refused to go into detail about when Hadrian asked.

"Being told and experiencing things first hand are two very different things, you will learn it when you are ready" Rabastan had smiled kindly with a teasing tone to his voice.

Marvolo and Lucius had countless political matters to attend to, since Marvolo was trying to regain a credible following with the creature communities in Europe while Lucius had to attend to his duties with the Ministry, Wizengamot, and the school board. Neither Severus nor Greyback were exactly good examples when it come to teaching things like dance and proper titles, plus they both had their own respective duties to attend to so the arrangement that was made up in the end suited everybody rather well.

Alecto and Amycus Carrow had been suggested as tutors but that had been quickly shot down by both Lucius and Severus with comments of how horrid and biased there teaching habits were, particularly when it came to punishments. With how cheeky Hadrian tended to be it was easy for them to assume that the three of them would only clash and get absolutely no work accomplished before the school year started. He had brought up a rather good point by mentioning that having a more neutral tutor would leave Hadrian with the most room for growth as his magical abilities developed and Hadrian had readily agreed with the prospect of the ideology.

It was a couple of days after the papers were filed away with the Ministry that Marvolo and Severus continued with the plans of properly making Hadrian a permanent fixture in their lives and home and it started with a visit to the Malfoys for lunch.

After lunch Rodolphus, Marvolo, Narcissa and Severus ushered a reluctant Hadrian into a room he hadn't been in before so that they could meet with the healer that was supposed to be arriving any minute. Draco was there of course simply because Hadrian promised not to throw a royal hissy fit if the blond wasn't there. It proved to be a good call when Draco started talking a mile a minute in an obvious attempt to distract Hadrian and the raven haired boy appreciate the sentiment even if the action was in vain. It wasn't the constant conversation that brought him comfort, it was the presents of someone he trusted. Draco knew of Hadrian's strong dislike and discomfort when it came to the prospects of seeing a healer. In his mind, healers and muggle doctors weren't people who could possibly help him, it was just one more person who knew about poor abused orphaned Harry Potter, the boy who couldn't even stand up to muggles.

Seeking attention for anything, even because he was in pain, usually only got him in more trouble. The Dursley's didn't want to give him attention unless it was to yell at him, beat him, or to make him do more chores. Anything else was done out of reluctance because they didn't want to have to go through the trouble that would be brought down on them if he died. If Harry Potter could have had his way he would have just faded into the background for as long as possible. He would be the hidden threat that no one had seen lurking in the shadows. He didn't want the attention.

He didn't want anyone's pity.

He didn't like the fact that both Narcissa and Rodolphus had to be there but Narcissa was a certified mind healer and Rodolphus was a trusted member of Marvolo's circle with medical training and the dark lord thought that the Lestrange brother could offer an interesting third party perspective that neither Narcissa, Severus, or himself would be able to provide. He understood the reasoning behind why they were there but even then that didn't mean he was comfortable with it.

It wasn't long before the healer was lead into the room by a nervous looking house elf and any conversations died off as they greeted the healer. The healer was a plump man with gray, thinning hair and red, rust colored robes. Narcissa greeted him as Healer Colton and judging by the way that the man respectfully nodded to both Severus and Marvolo it was safe to assume that the man was either one of the dark lords followers or a neutral wizard that was unbothered by things such as intimidation and was simply there to offer his services.

"So Mr. Potter as I understand it you're in need of an exam" The man asked inquisitively.

All Hadrian could do was nod tersely with a rather guarded, disinterested look. He had done the same thing to Madam Pomfrey when he had first met her. She had figured out quickly that if she wanted to get anything out of him she would have to ask simple yes and no questions. She also learned that any questions that he didn't want to answer usually stayed exactly like that...unanswered.

"Then let us begin"

The man bustled around Hadrian for the next half hour after casting a few initial diagnostic spells, muttering on and on about too short and too skinny and mishealed this and mishealed that. Throughout the whole day the only constants in the room were Severus, Marvolo and Draco. A sort of fire had lighted behind Rodolphus' eyes and he had felt the need to slip out of the room every once in a while to regain his composer and Narcissa had left the room when Healer Colton had asked him to remove his shirt. She felt the need to give him at least a little privacy and Hadrian greatly appreciated the thought.

Somehow he managed to stay angled away from showing the full extent of the damage to the other occupants in the room aside from Healer Colton, he angled himself so that the other three males only really saw the effects of the starvation, the few scars on his shoulders and chest and the outline of his rib cage, that was it. They didn't catch the mess of scars that heavily littered his back. He didn't do it on purpose, he knew that all three had already known that it was there but he didn't feel like fighting this particular instinct.

Healer Colton told them of course, showed them the parchment from the diagnostic spell. Logically he knew that they were aware of it but he had been hiding things like this all of his life, just because they knew didn't mean that he would suddenly be open and okay with sharing it and showing it. The angling away from Draco and Marvolo was instinctual, the slight way he was leaning back the smallest bit to make it harder for Severus to peer over the ridges of his shoulders from where he was standing, leaning against a nearby bookshelf, was a bad force of habit that he adapted after two many years of being told to suck it up.

They came up with a suitable plan of action of course. Some of the damage was to far along to be fixed completely like his eyesight, but according to the healer there was still a chance to heal all of his mishealed bones and the organ damage he sustained. Colton even had a rather high hope that with a little time and a proper diet he would gain some of the height he had lost due to malnutrition.

The healer was able to cast a spell or two just to get started but most of the healing would have to wait because it required potions to aid the healing. He managed to heal some of the damaged tendons in his hand and healed some of the fresher scaring to the point where it wasn't there. He wrote out a rather long list of potions and set a date to return so that they could truly make progress before the school year started. He was glad that there was a spell that fixed the worst of his eyesight, It definetly wasn't perfect but now he wasn't practically blind without his glasses.

Severus made it clear that he would be the one to brew any potions that Hadrian would need and Rodolphus made a rather amused comment that between himself and Narcissa they would be able to get his weight up enough that the rest of the healing wouldn't be as much of a challenge.

It felt like forever before the whole thing was finally over and by the end of it he just felt drained, like he could simply curl up on the floor somewhere and take a nap forever. Severus had dismissed himself with a comment of wanting to start on the list of potions in his hand as soon as possible, a odd sort of angst had flashed in across his face before his face went blank and he felt the room with his black robes billowing behind him. Draco ended up grabbing him by the hand and almost quite literally dragged him to the blonds room where they laid across his bed, shoulder to shoulder and stared at the ceiling for a long while.

Hadrian had always enjoyed Draco's company, the other male just somehow always knew the difference between the times when Hadrian needed a distraction and when he just needed the silent company and the knowledge that he wasn't alone. They had spent many a nights in the room of requirement that way, just simply enjoying the company of one another while they stayed in comfortable silence.

It wasn't until during dinner that Lucius and Narcissa informed him of how they planned on turning him into a proper heir before the school year started in two short months.

Lucius managed to bury the papers of Hadrian's adoption with no one the wiser. Now the only people who could protest the adoption were those who had a clear concern about Hadrian's well being and even then they would have to go through the ministry with proof to achieve their goals. Legally Severus Snape and his husband adopted his husband's orphaned 'nephew'. Marvolo was now on Ministry and Gringotts paperwork as Marvolo Peverell. Apparently the name Marvolo was a common named passed down in the very early parts of the Peverell family's history so the name wouldn't raise to many questions unless someone specific was doing some very specific digging.

Legally all that was left was for the them to go to Gringotts and complete the adoption ceremony that would make Hadrian their heir by blood right.

Lucius would be in charge of teaching Hadrian the legal and political aspects of the wizarding world and they were set to meet every other day for two to three hours. There weren't going to be many instances where Hadrian would have to talk politics at gathering until he started attending Ministry functions when he came into his lordships, which wouldn't happen until all of the heirs were introduced into the Wizengamot when they were of age so this gave the man more leniency when it came to what he had time to teach and what he would have to put off. The Malfoy lord would also be teaching his new student about the hogwarts charter that no one had bothered to tell Hadrian about before.

Narcissa wasn't as lucky when it came to time constraints. They were set to meet for at least three hours every day up until the school year started, there was usually at least one social event that he would have to go to before the end of the summer, especially now that he carried even more heir titles. She had to teach him about a whole culture that no one had really bothered to teach him about before. The Weasley's didn't follow most of traditional wizarding customs and they were really the only family that Hadrian had any significant amount of time with and they lived by more muggle traditions than wizarding ones.

Luckily this year there was no event this summer, to many conflicts when it came to the state of the ministry and the whole of the wizarding world. But even then she made it her mission to teach him as much as she could while she had the time. Once the school year started her access to both him and Draco would be fairly restricted. She wanted to teach him about proper posters, writing, dance, manners, hosting, conversations, everything. He would have to learn to adapt to a writing form befitting of an heir, how to carry himself as an heir, learn how to have polite conversations in grey areas in ways that neither offended anyone nor gave away to much. Basically he would have to learn the ways of the traditional pureblood and half blood families.

Draco took it upon himself to be in charge of teaching Hadrian about the importance of wizarding attire. The importance of colors and fits and how everyone's first impression of him would be from the clothes he was wearing, how he wore his hair, everyone would make it their business so it was best to look the part, especially since they needed to rebuild his reputation. He may not have liked being in the spotlight but he was and there was no way to change that, so he might as well get used to the attention. The Ministry had done a lot of damage, even if they had admitted that Hadrian had been right Hadrian would still need to put up an impeccable front in order to remind others of his status and standing in the wizarding world.

"I know you know how to play a part, now we just need to make it look like you're not pretending" Draco had smirked as he spoke, the remark was obviously an inside joke between the two. It was an illusion to Hadrian's Gryffindor veneer. It spoke volumes about just how close the two had gotten over the course of their friendship.

Rabastan and Rodolphus were in charge of helping Narcissa and Draco with lessons and while Rodolphus was in charge of keeping track of any medical issues that Hadrian forgot about during the day, like reminding him to take his potions or to eat one of the small meals that was in compliance with his new diet, Rabastan was in charge of helping Draco getting whatever would be needed from Diagon Alley, mostly making sure that Draco didn't go overboard as well as ensuring the safety of the two boys since Hadrian had a habit of going stir crazy and Draco hated ordering clothes from catalogs instead of going to the shops in person to ensure the integrity of product and would drag the both of them out to do a little shopping every chance he got because he was a diva. Rabastan and Rodolphus also took it upon themselves to teach both Draco and Hadrian dueling skills that were more advanced than what the Hogwarts curriculum would teach them, it was also a good way to make up for the foolish teaching they had been forced to endure in the past. 

Hadrian soon felt like his head was going to explode with everything he was being told but he took it in stride like he always had.

As the lessons started they found that he caught on to some things rather quickly while other things took a little longer to stick, the way things naturally did when one was learning new things. They had gone back to Gringotts and the adoption ceremony had gone spectacularly well. The blood adoption potion had done its job and in the eyes of mother magic and legally Hadrian Potter was now Hadrian James Peverell Riddle-Snape. It was final and now Hadrian could only be removed if Severus and Marvolo faced an untimely death, or if they were deemed unfit. Even then Narcissa and Lucius were named his new godparents and would gain custody of Hadrian if anything happened. For the most part things were going far smoother than they thought it would.They had been informed that there had been minor issue with returning the funds back into Hadrian's account but aside from that their biggest issue was teaching him how to dance and act prim and proper.

Both Molly Weasley and Dumbledore had caused quite the scene not even a full day after they had been notified by the bank that they needed to return the money they had been given for years. Molly had come into the bank in a tizzy, demanding that the bank fix whatever mistake they made because neither her nor did Ron and Ginny owe anyone any money. The funds being put into the three accounts had been legal and approved by Albus Dumbledore himself and that there had to have been some sort of mistake made on the goblin's part. She refused to even listen when they had tried to explain to her why she was quite wrong. It had taken threats of getting the ministry and the Aurors involved to make Molly back down and listen to reason and even then she had been uncooperative.

Dumbledore had come to the bank not long after the Weasley matriarch had left and insisted that the whole thing was just one big misunderstanding. He too had been sent away in a state when he had been told by the estate manager that Heir Potter himself had informed them that the transactions were fraudulent. Of course that made Dumbledore suspicious because Harry Potter wasn't supposed to be leaving Privet Drive, much less know about what was being done with his money.

There was little that could be done about it by then though. Especially with the paperwork done and the ceremony complete. They had no choice but to pay back the money and anyone who was living in any of the Potter and Black properties for free had to either start paying rent with a small amount of interest to make up for the near 16 years of rent free living or move out. The residences were people who for the most part had been displaced during the first Wizarding War so he let them stay. The only ones he didn't give the option of paying rent, were the Order Members. They could no longer use number twelve grimmauld place as their headquarters and any of the valuables that he knew for a fact Molly tried to dispose of would be replaced out of the weasley's own pocket.

It felt nice knowing that Sirius' home was no longer flooded with people he didn't really want there, it made him sad knowing that Sirius wouldn't ever get to see his home unwelcomed guest free.

He took to the politic lessons with Lucius rather well and the etiquette lessons weren't as daunting as they had seemed in the beginning. He still struggled with certain things like remembering that he doesn't have to be as uptight and stiff in private as he might have to be in public and if he does have to be more formal than he needs to remember to be more relaxed in his actions, less clumsy and more graceful. Narcissa was a patient teacher, always ready with a quick reprimand, praise, and encouragement. In Draco's opinion he even dressed much better than he had previously.

He only really struggled when it came to dancing, handwriting and gaining weight.

Even though the tendons in his hand had been healed it still felt odd writing with a quill after all these years. His penmanship had improved exponentially since he had started using the workbooks Narcissa had made for him but the large swooping letters that she was sure would set his writing apart from others was a little trickier, Narcissa had assured him though that he was doing far better than she had expecting him to do during the amount of time they had and having trouble with one thing was nothing compared to the progress he had already made.

He had allowed Draco to mess with his hair and not that he would ever admit it to his face but the Malfoy heir had done a wonderful job. Thanks to a potion and loads of time spent sitting in a chair and fidgeting, his hair was even longer than it had been in his third year. It wasn't unruly like it once was but now a little ways past his shoulders and adapted a light curl to it so when he left it out he looked a bit more like a mix between Sirius and Severus than he did James Potter.

He was truly starting to look and act more like the person person that he had always wanted to be and the very thought of not having to hide who he was anymore made him absolutely ecstatic. With each day that passed he felt less like he was going to buzz out of his skin and more liked he belonged in the body he was in.

Health wise he had definitely been improving. He had gained a good amount of weight and grew half an inch thanks to the nutrient potions and from the blood adoption but even then neither Severus nor Marvolo took it easy on him. They were on him every chance they got, constantly reminding him about taking his potions and making sure that he wasn't overly overwhelmed or stressed out with everything that was going on.

In the whole ordeal Marvolo and Severus had been the ones to help him maintain his sanity.

The remedial potions lessons were like a mix of cooking and chemistry to him and it just so happened that he had enjoyed both growing up. Outside of the classroom setting, working in silence with Severus every day had been extremely relaxing. Severus would give him his assignment and then leave him alone for the duration of the time unless Hadrian requested his assistance. Somehow just knowing that he wasn't working for a grade as much as he was working to prove himself felt like a stronger motivator. He actually wanted Severus to be surprised by the amount of skill he actually had and from what he was able to see he was succeeding.

At first Severus had started him off with simpler potions, trying to get a feel for what his charge had retained from classes and than from there he steadily increased the work and the difficulties of the potion until soon enough Severus was willing to allow Hadrian to brew potions that would be sent off to Madam Pomfrey in preparation for the upcoming school year. The potions master even allowed him to help brew some of the potions that Hadrian needed to take daily.

Something about brewing the potions that he would need to take later on gave him a sense of empowerment, like he wasn't a poor child that needed to rely on adults for everything he needed. Knowing that he could contribute to his recovery in such a way was invigorating. When he had mentioned it to Narcissa she had smiled at him gently and said that as a mind healer she often knew people who found contributing to their own recovery in a way that wasn't simply being the patient, was therapeutic and had reassured him that he was a strong person, handling everything that the world threw at him like it was nothing and that it showed in his character.

Going to Marvolo for anything at first was an entirely different matter, it felt nothing like going to Severus did when he needed something. Sure he and Severus never got on well in the past but at least Severus had never actually tried to kill him.

At first he felt that he could get away with not having to be majorly involved with the Dark Lord but nothing was ever that simple for him and Hadrian was painfully self aware. He was the man's adoptive son and was the man's heir and continuation of the man's blood line. He couldn't very well avoid and hate him for the rest of his life, not after he had done so many things to essentially secure his future. As wrong as it felt to hate the Dark Lord it also felt wrong to care him.

They had come to some sort of unspoken truce one night when Hadrian had spent a restless night in the library attempting to find material to use in an essay that Lucius had assigned to him. He couldn't sleep and he had spent far to many nights just staring out at the sky from his balcony so he decided to get some of his assignments done. Marvolo had swept in, intending to find a bit of light reading material for the night when he found his heir looking rather frustrated as he flipped through a book, trying to find something to help him with his essay on a topic that he was already struggling with.

Marvolo had helped him with the overall essay and Lucius had trouble finding fault in it.

Marvolo had answered each of his questions without even a hint of condescension or judgement and had even referred a couple books that he thought would have been helpful. He had showed more patients to his charge than Hadrian's own relatives had ever shown him and when they were done he had shooed Hadrian off to go to bed the same way he had seen his aunt shuffle Dudley off to bed. The same way Mrs Weasley would send her children off to bed with a sort of exasperated fondness that only a parent could feel when dealing with their children.

It had felt him feeling unsettled but also...cared for.

He had fallen asleep thinking about what had happened and had waved it off in the morning as him simply reading to much into the situation even though deep down he knew that it had been so much more than that.

As the summer passed they received a few issues here and there. Dumbledore had tried to run interference a few times as the start of the new term drew closer. He had tried to get Severus' help on several occasions but the potions master refused. He still attended Order meetings but only the most essential ones and he had to constantly deflect to keep Dumbledore from finding out the truths he didn't already know. So far all Albus had was speculation, as far as anyone else knew, Harry Potter had gone into hiding for his own protection. It took a lot longer than they thought it would but eventually Albus had found the paperwork and had come to the proper conclusion that Harry James Potter was now Hadrian James Peverell Riddle-Snape the adopted son of Severus Snape and Marvolo Peverell.

The old fool tried to poke and prod about things like their whereabouts, why Harry left the safety of his relatives, why had he been ignoring the letters his friends were sending him all summer. Why had Severus not sent to boy back to his relatives or taken him to headquarters or to the burrow, surely the Weasley's wouldn't have minded taking care of Harry for a few days until he could be taken back to his relatives. Blood adopting the boy and hiding him away had not been a good decision when Severus was so close to the dark lord, it just put him in danger because surely Voldemort would find out and come after the both of them. Albus had tried every trick in the book but Severus met him every step of the way with lies, simple deflection, and half truths that kept the old man at bay.

'The dark lord is far to busy to look to closely at the life of his potions master. The dark lord wants Severus to get close to the boy in order to gain his trust. The dark lord wants nothing more than to keep tabs on the boy because he no longer wishes to fight the boy, he has a plan to infiltrate the order in order to get a better understanding of his enemy. Potter was away in a safe house with Severus' own husband being well taken care of.' Severus had no doubt that the man was rapidly losing faith in his spy but the man didn't particularly care.

By the time the boys received their Hogwarts letters for the upcoming school year there wasn't much left of Harry Potter. Everything false that had made up the Harry Potter that everyone had known was stripped away and replaced with the true, better versions. He had gained a full two inches in height, ending up not much shorter than Draco. Where he had previously been skin and bone he was now lean muscle and tanned skin. Harry Potter was gone and Hadrian James Peverell Riddle-Snape had taken his place. Hadrian couldn't remember a time when he could say that he was truly this happy.

He had not only a better understanding of the world that he had fell in love with when he first saw it but he came to have a better understanding of the people around him. He understood the Weasley's motives, why Draco had been such a arse back in their first year, and he even had a better understanding of himself.

He had a wider emotional range now and understood why he felt certain ways. He understood why at times he felt so angry for no reason and why he felt so downtrodden about certain subjects. He understood the difference between just being happy and being content and that he didn't have to settle for being happy for a short time when being content was a lasting joy that he always wanted but could never seem to achieve. He learned the difference between self satisfaction and foolish pride that set Slytherins and Gryffindors apart and how to work through the guilt he had and the remorse he felt without letting it consume him.

He had perfected the skills that he had learned from everyone who had helped him. Narcissa was absolutely ecstatic about it, she was rather proud to have been able to teach Hadrian so much in such little time. Rabastan and Rodolphus had teased him about now being a true heir now and feeling like proud parents.

Today would be the last lesson with her. Severus would be leaving later that day to go start fulfilling his duties at Hogwarts, claiming that he could no longer put off going since all of the teachers had to go in before the term started in order to prepare for the arrival of the students and he had already put off his arrival by a week. Now they were all gathered in the ballroom so that they could collectively see the progress that had been made. The ballroom of Malfoy manor was large and extravagant like the rest of the household but for the purpose of the lessons it was empty and undercoated. Severus, Lucius, Narcissa, and Marvolo had collectively quizzed him on politics, potions, culture and etiquette respectively and he had done well.

Bellatrix was beside herself with giggles, she found it absolutely hysterical that itty bitty baby potter had been turned into such a sophisticated heir, with his hair pulled back into a messy bun at the base of his neck and wearing a dark blue button down and black muggle jeans. They had come to an...unusual sort of understanding during the time that they had been around each other. They snarked and sassed and teased each other like they were fighting for a prize. She still tried to him to tell her about his relatives but he knew better and she always seemed to know when to stop asking about it.

Rodolphus and Rabastan had found it fitting to quiz him and Draco on defensive and offensive spells. They had taken rather brotherly roles when it came to the two boys and felt it only right that they had a few more spells under their belts, especially since Hadrian going back to school the way he was now and armed with Draco Malfoy as an ally, the two were bound to draw unwanted attention. They taught them several spells that were effective but not taught at Hogwarts because they were just to controversial about where they fell when it came to being dark or light magic. Of course this brought exasperation to both of their parents, knowing that they could get into quite a bite of trouble if one of the boys used the wrong spell at the wrong time. They had been sure that they boys knew that while none of the spells were deadly, they could still cause a lot of damage and were only to be used if they felt truly threatened.

They had both boys duel them at once Rabastan against Hadrian and Rodolphus against Draco, Draco using his Mother's and Hadrian using Marvolo's since they had the closest magical cores to Harry and Draco's own. Both teens were powerful and as the other adults watched it was almost like the to boys had a sixth sense when it came to each other, Draco had cast a shielding charm for Hadrian just in the nick of time and Hadrian had thrown several curses at Rodolphus at random times to throw the brothers off, fighting alongside each other as if they had been doing so for decades.

Marvolo had called the duel to an end when a few to many curses went a little too close to hitting their marks, exclaiming that he was in no mood to see anyone get hurt and that it was obvious that both boys had dueling skills well above that of their classmates. He had no doubt that either boy would have any issues being able to properly defend themselves in a school setting or otherwise.

"You all did a splendid job teaching him" Coming from Severus Snape that was high praise and they all knew it.

"He's a very quick study" Lucius responded, he was impressed that Hadrian had done as well as he had, he didn't doubt the teens abilities but he hadn't expected him to absorb all of the information and teaching being taught to him so quickly.

"There is one more thing that I would like to see" Bellatrix had a large smirk on her face and it made something inside the teen feel both dread and curiosity, what could she possibly want to quiz him on.

"Oh and what would that be" Marvolo raised an eyebrow at the woman rather curiously. She may not have been as insane and zealous as people thought she was but that didn't mean he had all that much patients for her either.

"Hadrian here hasn't yet shown us his dance skills" her voice held a teasing edge to it that made said teen groan while most of the other occupants in the room had smirked.

"Now that is something I would like to see" Draco ignored the poke he received from his friend for the comment and only grinned harder when Hadrian started pouting.

_He looks adorable with a pout on his face._ Whoa...where had his mind gotten that thought from, now definitely was not the time to be having those types of thoughts while surrounded by plenty of people who would have no qualms about teasing him mercilessly about a potential crush he may or may not have had on Hadrian.

"Well then you can be his dance partner" Narcissa winked at her son knowingly as she conjured up a few instruments that would play themselves while Draco and Hadrian took to the floor.

They decided among themselves that Draco would lead and once the music started they were off, for the majority of the lessons that involved dancing Draco and Narcissa had been his partners and at first it had involved a lot of frustration and toes got stepped on quite a few time because if there was one thing Hadrian had been truly horrible at it was dancing. Now though, with Draco it came much more naturally than it had before, it was nothing like what had happened at the yule ball. Now where movements had been jerky and clumsy they were graceful and smooth while his footwork was light and easy. Hadrian had been the reason that Draco needed to get his shoes shined repeatedly over the course of the summer but the blond didn't mind it.

Some nights,when they stayed in Malfoy Manor or when Draco slept over at Riddle Manor, when they were feeling particularly restless in the witching hours of the night or in the earliest hours of the mornings, they would practice dancing. Barefoot with their toes buried in the thick carpet and large grins on their faces as they tried to stay quiet and not alert Severus and Marvolo or Narcissa and Lucius of the fact that they were wide awake and currently tripping over each others feet as they tried to dance in the dark. It was a simple joy that neither of them particularly wanted to give up.

Dancing in front of the others made him nervous but it helped that throughout the dance he and Draco had kept up a murmured conversation that had been an excellent distraction. If he was to busy making conversation and not overthinking things like where to place his hands or where to step next, he was actually a good dancer. Of course in a formal setting he would probably need to straighten his form a little bit and he and his partner would have to stand much closer together but even then that wasn't all that big of a deal.

After his dance with Draco he danced with Narcissa, it had almost gone just as smoothly as the first time except this time he was leading and had missed a step or two but even then she had smiled at him with a look so prideful that it made him smile too. At the end of the second dance Rabastan insisted on getting to dance with him as well just for the hell of it and had proceeded to make Hadrian laugh the entire time while the others watched on in amusement.

They had all agreed that he would be ready for any and all social events that were to come up and that made something in his chest flutter with warmth. Not the same warmth that he had gotten when he would dance with Draco but the emotion was a very close second to that.

The only thing left for them to do was shop for their school supplies. They already had most of what they needed but Draco wanted to do a bit more clothes shopping and Hadrian was in need of a new trunk. Severus and Marvolo had sent someone to go and retrieve Hadrian's things from private drive and there had been obvious signs that his relatives had not only tried to get into his trunk but also destroy it. No one had thought of rewarding the protection charms on the trunk from when he had first gotten it in his first year. Aside from the usual wear and tear the trunk had gotten over the years Hadrian saw no reason to replace it but now there were burn marks all along it and scuff marks that made it look like someone had tried to beat the thing apart with a fire poker meaning it definitely needed to be replaced now.

Aside from the external damage everything inside was intact and that wasn't saying very much since most of it was just old school books, and past supplies that he probably should have replaced last year or hell even in his third year.

The only possessions of true value in the trunk was the photo album Hagrid had given him full of photos of his parents and Remus and Sirius, his invisibility cloak, the Marauders map, and the school books he had decided to keep from his past years at Hogwarts. Lucius and Narcissa had volunteered to be the ones to take the children school shopping because they were neither wanted by the ministry nor did they have other important matters that needed to be attended to. Greyback had been away talking to a wolf pack in Germany and Marvolo would be meeting him there tomorrow, Severus would be leaving within the next day for Hogwarts and had enough to deal with.

Severus had made an attempt to offer to take him to Diagon Alley himself but Hadrian had looked at him seriously and told him that he was sixteen. He understood that Severus had a duty to attend to and Hadrian may need him for lots of things but he didn't need him for everything. He could make it through one Diagon Alley trip without him

It was settled. Hadrian would spend the night at Malfoy Manor and then the next day he and the Malfoys would go into Diagon Alley.

No one was none the wiser to the fact that the two teenage boys had fallen asleep in Draco's room and woke up in a tangle of limbs and neither of them dared mention it.

\-----------------------------------------------

That very same night Severus and Marvolo sat in the sitting room simply talking about how three months had managed to completely change their lives in a way that was far more pleasant than they had been expecting.

Severus had known that his treatment of Harry Potter had never been fair even he could admit to that. The boy was nothing like his father and it was childish for him to have held such a grudge against Hadrian when it had been his father and godfather that he didn't get along with. He was trying to amend for it now though, for Lily's sake and for the sake of his relationship with the young man that was slowly wiggling his way into their cold dark hearts. The boy didn't relish his fame nor was he obnoxious the way that James had been. The boy had notorious anger issues but even then both he and his own husband had quite the tempers themselves.

The boy at first was a walking replica of James Potter and had the same Gryffindor tendencies but under all of that, behind the emerald green eyes he was Lily's child. He was strong and kind and passionate and the boy was far smarter than he had been letting on. He was clever and had a thought process much like a slytherin's and always strove to do the best that he could for himself until his need for human kindness had pushed his goals to the back seat.

People needed friendship and impressionable eleven year olds were no exception, especially abused children. Hadrian had found people that promised him the life he deserved and he had latched onto that, they had taken advantage of it but never again. Severus could tell the boy would never let himself be used that way again, in his mind the boy was a perfect living example of what a Slytherin was supposed to be and more. He was clever, ambitious, resourceful, and he wasn't cold and conniving the way many slytherin's tended to be.

"He is far different in his day to day life than he is in life and death situations" Marvolo observed, book in hand.

"He if very different than he was in the past" Severus amended, a glass of fire whisky in his hand "He truly is Lily's child"

"Did you ever think that this was how it was going to go, when we had first gotten together"

Setting aside the book in his lap Marvolo looked at his husband, just taking him in. He was far younger than people assumed and when he was as relaxed as he was now you could truly see the difference the ever present stress lines and scowls that were there when he was dealing with most people was absent and replaced with a relaxed look. Long smooth black hair was pulled back into a ponytail and He wore a black button down with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows and black slacks completed the look. He held a book in one hand and a crystal glass of fire whisky in the other.

"When we finally stopped the ridiculous little dance we called subtly flirting I had not known that we would get into everything we had...when we had married I had thought about children, heirs, I knew that we would never be conventional and that was okay with me" Severus had responded, looking directly into Marvolo's eyes and not looking away for even a single word

Marvolo could only hum in response, pleased with the answer he had been given.

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Time flew far faster than it had any other summer and Hadrian would obviously be lying if he said that he wasn't filled with a sort of spine tingling kind of anxiety. Their trunks had already been sent to Hogwarts that morning via a house elf. Marvolo and Hadrian had flooed to Malfoy Manor early that day and had come together for breakfast and then they had all gotten prepared to leave right after. They were moments away from leaving and he could not stop fussing with the end of his braided hair and constantly adjusting the collar of his shirt. His hair was pulled into a simple french braid thanks to the hair spell that Narcissa had let Draco use her wand for. He wore a black dress shirt with a dark blood red waistcoat and black slacks with black dress shoes. He had forgone a tie at Draco's insistence. Draco himself wore black slacks and a black shirt but with a silver waistcoat that made his silver blue eyes and platinum blond hair stand out more than usual.

Bellatrix had looked over them both with approval and Narcissa had agreed when she had swept into the room with Lucius, both looking as regal as they always did. Two thick strands of her hair was pulled back and pinned up with a silver and emerald green hair barrette to keep it out of and to frame her face. She wore a deep green long sleeved dress that hugged her figure with black heels. Lucius wore a black button down shirt with silver embroidery and black suit pants. 

Rabastan and Rodolphus sat in the corner of the room playing a game of wizards chess. They weren't all that invested in the game from what Hadrian could tell because they kept casting bemused glances his way, amused by his obvious restlessness.

"Stop fidgeting Hadrian you will only make yourself more uneasy" Marvolo admonished without even having to look up from where he was reading the Daily Profit.

Marvolo wore tan khaki pants and a light blue button down with a black suit jacket over top, he had a light blue pocket square that matched his shirt. He looked like the epitome of calm as he sat, reading the newspaper as if Hadrian's life wasn't about to end.

Okay so perhaps he was being over dramatic but he had every right to be. Riddle Manor and Malfoy Manor and become his safe havens in the short amount of time he had been there and now he had to leave until the holidays. Sure he had Severus and Draco but that would be nowhere near the same as being home with the people that he had gotten so close to over the time that he had been there. It didn't help that he knew that Ron and Hermione would be bombarded him the very first chance they got.

Draco and Severus may have been in the castle but he wasn't a Slytherin he wouldn't be able to escape their demanding questions or accusations. They must of found out somehow that Hadrian had been adopted because a letter had found its way to Malfoy Manor, addressed to him, it was from Ron and Hermione and they had demanded to know where he was and what was wrong and what was he thinking. They had done nothing in the letter but admonish his choice of leaving his relatives and listed reason after reason about why he should go back, not once even mentioning all the reasons as to why going back was a bad idea. They would undoubtedly find a way to corner him and it wouldn't be hard since Hadrian and Ron shared a dorm room.

It would be horrendous and he didn't know if his nerves could take the anxiety that the thought of a confrontation with Ron and Hermione brought him. Hermione would look down on and ignore every reason he gave her. She would treat him as if he were inferior because she was 'the smartest witch of their time' and without her he would be absolutely lost. She would treat him like he was a complete idiot and expect him to do as she said simply because she said to. Ron would take Hermione's side and judge him and rant at him about how people would think he was turning dark because he was doing things he wasn't supposed to and letting Snape adopt him would make people think he was evil. He would be pissed about the obvious friendship that Hadrian had formed with Draco and that would be a whole separate shit show that Hadrian didn't even want to imagine.

Not only would they be insufferable but the rest of the school would be watching his every move. That included Ginny who still hadn't gotten over her crush on 'The-Boy-Who-Lived'. Everybody assumed he was oblivious but he was not naive and he knew that just about every conversation they had was heavy with her attempts at flirting. She was constantly trying to gain his attention and she had an abrasive attitude just like Ron. She's going to nag him about his hair and his clothes and constantly tell him that he looked just as gay as Malfoy and the other traditionally raised wizards at school that took pride in how they looked.

He had spent enough time around the Weasley family to know that that is exactly what Ginny would do and all he could do was hope and pray that she didn't accuse him in front of other people because while he wasn't ashamed of being gay, he didn't like his business being spread about the castle and the last thing he wanted was to be ostracized by his classmates the way they had when he was in his second year and again in his fourth and fifth year.

They labeled him as dark in second year and people didn't believe that he didn't put his name in the cup in fourth year so they labeled him as a cheater and a fame seeker and just last year they branded him a liar and an attention seeker for saying that Voldemort was back. The last thing he wanted to be labeled as gay, especially when he hadn't come out to anybody aside from Draco and even that had been an accident because he had slipped while they were having a conversation while he was half asleep.

He couldn't even begin to sort out his thoughts regarding Dumbledore.

"I can't help it" He glared at the floor like it was the cause of all his problems.

"You'll be fine Hadrian, you know Uncle Sev won't let anything get out of hand" Draco stood from where he had been sitting on the couch near Marvolo and approached his nervous friend. Swatting at Hadrian's hand he proceeded to fix not only his shirt collar but also his hair since he had fretted with it so much that he had managed to pull the elastic out of his hair and cause the braid to start unraveling.

"This will be the year where you don't get into trouble, were going to be partners in classes and you're going to join the study group I'm in. Pansy and Daphne will want to give you a make over every weekend and you'll let them and you are going to take hogwarts by storm" Draco finished with Hadrian's hair and looked his friend in the eye with a smirk "and no one is going to stop you"

"You sound so sure of that plan" He snorted, Draco always somehow knew just what to say.

"Of course I'm sure, I'm Draco Malfoy"

"Egotistical prat" Hadrian sassed as a smile broke across both of their faces.

"I believe it is time to go"Lucius interrupted the two, amusement showing clear on their faces.

"Indeed" Marvolo agreed

They bid goodbye to the others and Lucius held out his arm for Draco and with a classic Malfoy smirk they were gone, quickly followed by Narcissa who gave them both a kind smile.

Marvolo stood and Hadrian watched his guardian curiously. He and Severus had gotten along spectacularly well since they started spending so much time together brewing potions. There were still awkward moments sure, but even then Severus had adapted to a sort of mentor/paternal role in Hadrian's life. At first things had been cordial but icy so in an attempt to find some common ground Hadrian had brought up the only thing that he knew for certain that they had in common. He remembered the memories from Severus' pensieve the school term before and he knew that they deserved the distaste he held for the marauders but surely his mother wasn't like them. 

_"You knew my mum"_

_Severus looked so startled that Hadrian feared the man would hurt himself if he grew any more tense, onyx black eyes stared into his with a sort of restrained anger and morbid sadness._

_"I did" He answered curtly_

_The iciness of the room was making him second guess if this was a good idea but he had pressed on anyway "No one ever talks about her you see, they always talk about James...would you, would you be willing to tell me about her"_

_Severus had just stood there observing him for a long while, regarding the child still so deep in his youth but missing the ignorant bliss of childhood. He didn't miss the way that his adoptive son had changed from calling James Potter his father to simply calling him James. He wondered what had caused the change, surely the change couldn't have been brought on by just the adoption._

_"One day, we will sit down and I will tell you about her"_

_Hadrian grinned for the rest of the afternoon._

Hadrian had no such moments like that with Marvolo and he was still unnerved by the mans presents half the time when they were near each other because they had no reason to bond aside from few occasions where he needed questions answered and had not had access to his godfather for answers. Even when they had interacted with each other Marvolo was a Slytherin to boot and he knew how to hide his emotions and guard his reactions even better than Severus could. How was one supposed to bond with the man that killed his parents?.

"Let us take our leave" The oldest male held out his arm and Hadrian took it before he could second guess himself.

There was a semi-familiar feeling of pulling behind his naval and before he knew it they were in Kings Cross Station. The platform of 9 and 3/4 was already bustling with families, the platform was fuller than he was used to because of just how long they had waited to apparate to the station. Knowing just how anxious Hadrian had been about leaving, Rabastan had suggested that they arrive a little late on the grounds that most of the crowds would be to busy ushering there children onto the train and saying goodbye to take the time to observe a unfamiliar boy and his father arriving a little late.

The Malfoys were waiting for them, giving Draco last minute assurances that they would do anything he needed them to do should he need them for anything.

Hadrian busied himself with looking around the platform with sharp eyes, the last thing he wanted was for one of the Weasleys to randomly pop up or for one of the Order members to come up to them in an attempt to gather information under the false pretence of making 'friendly conversation'. His observation time was cut short when slender fingers suddenly gripped his chin gently and turned his head till green eyes met glimmering dark brown.

Marvolo had glamoured his eyes before they left but even now they bore into Hadrian with the same intensity that his usual red eyes did. His guardian had stepped closer to him without Hadrian even realizing it and he was leaning over slightly so that he and his heir were more or less the same height. When Marvolo spoke his voice was gentle with a slight hiss of parseltongue behind it that was actually rather comforting.

"I know this school year will not be easy, I expect at least one letter a week so that I know you are alright. If _anything_ happens I expect you to go to Severus immediately, do you understand."

Did that mean that...Did the big bad Dark Lord truly start to care about the boy that was destined to be his downfall "Yes sir"

"I mean it young man, if it's serious than I expect you to go to him as soon as you are able, since he is one of your legal guardians the school will go straight to him should there be any issues, He knows how to get in contact with me without endangering himself or the manor so all of your letters should go to him and he will pass them along, I want to hear all about your studies and such"

"Yes sir"

"No matter what do not allow yourself to be caught alone with the headmaster, I do not trust him when it comes to your safety. Now go, before the train leaves without you."

"Hadrian we have to go" Draco interrupted softly, looking between the train and the crowd of people like something had spooked him.

"Alright, bye father" He responded to both of them without thinking about what words he had uttered as he turned away from Marvolo, Narcissa and Lucius and allowed Draco to drag him away.

They both started walking away before either of them could see the reaction of the three adults they were leaving behind. Stepping onto the train Draco lead him through the passageway to a very specific compartment, knowing exactly where he was going. Opening the compartment he entered quickly and pulled Hadrian in with him before closing it and locking it behind them before he rounded on Hadrian and the other people in the compartment with them, a smirk on his face.

Among those in the compartment were Pansy, Daphne, Blaise, and Theo. THey were all looking between the two with raised eyebrows but for different reasons. Daphne and Pansy seemed to be taking in Hadrian's new found style and seemed to approve of it while Blaise and Theo looked amused between the two, knowing that Draco could be thanked for not only Hadrian's current start of dress but for his current presents in their compartment.

"Why are you smiling like you just got away with murder" Pansy snarked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because someone very well may have just been murdered obviously" Draco sassed back as he and Hadrian sat down, Hadrian by the window next to Blaise and Draco near the compartment door next to Theo.

The train gave a sudden lurch and the whistle blew and then they were pulling out of the station.

The others knew better than to start asking questions right away so they opted instead to start conversations off with sharing how their summers had gone, bragging on and on about what they had done and where they went and what they had bought. The conversations were easy and light and jumped from jumped from topic to topic as quickly as a snitched darted around the quidditch field. When the subject of Hadrian's new look came up he had blushed as he told them about getting adopted. He didn't go into much detail about why or when or by who exactly, just covered the basic points. They knew that it happened over the summer and that Snape had adopted him but they didn't know why he adopted him. They knew that he had spent the majority of his summer at Malfoy manor being tutored by Lady Malfoy and being helped by Lord Malfoy with legal matters but they didn't know anything more than that because he liked having his privacy and wasn't ready for them to know more about it yet.

Severus and Marvolo had blood adopted him and helped him learn how to be a proper heir. He mentioned in passing that Lucius and Narcissa were his godparents now and confirmed that Draco was responsible for his new look. He height and physique was partly due to the blood adoption. Harian had only grown an inch since they had started his treatment but the blood adoption had added another inch and a half so now he was almost as tall as Draco and a more appropriate height for a male his age.

They even noticed how under the brand new silver framed glasses he had Marvolo's cheekbones and Severus' steady hands and amazing emotional control, they didn't know who he got his cheekbones from but they noticed him enough to notice the difference in his featured.

He sparked a friendship with the four slytherins during that train ride. He knew that not all of the Slytherins hated him and that some even respected him for his bloodlines and magical abilities. As the train ride progressed they all grew more comfortable with each others presents and soon enough they were joking and laughing as if they had been friends with each other since they were first years. As they all grew more and more comfortable they even grew more bold about what they were willing to talk about in front of him.

Thankfully someone had cast a Notice-Me-Not charm and silencing spell on the compartment because they the conversation moved onto dark lord matters and Hadrian knew that Ron and Hermione had to have been looking for him on the train and being found by them was the last thing he wanted to deal with, especially while they were on the train with nowhere to go if it came down to an argument or even a duel. With Ron's anger issues and Hermione's superiority complex he wouldn't be surprised if one of them pulled their wands.

When they were half an hour outside away from Hogwarts Pansy and Daphne had taken it upon themselves to go to the loo with their clothes to change and demanded that the boys do the same. They made sure to close all of the shutters before they even dared to start undressing. They all changed into their school uniforms quickly but Hadrian lagged behind when it came to putting on his robe and tie.

They bore the gryffindor colors and putting them on felt wrong, the robe felt like a heavy weight trying to drag him down, the tie was like a noose around his neck.

It was almost like the others could sense his thoughts cause Blaise looked him over with a critical eye "Your robes clash horribly with those glasses"

That succeeded in pulling a giggle out of Hadrian and got Blaise one of Draco's rare, greatful smiles. Before the look was turned on Hadrian and turned into something that looked like a passionate mix of fondness, protectiveness, and love. Hadrian didn't notice the looks of course because he was too distracted tying his tie. Blaise and Theo noticed the look though but neither dared comment on the look but the two of them did share a knowing look between each other.

By the time the girls came back to the compartment, make-up reapplied and hair perfectly done the boys were sitting and laughing about something or another that they most likely didn't want to know about if the way Theo was snickering was anything to go by. They didn't have much time left of the train ride so they made sure that they had all of their belongings. They were one of the first to get off the train and thankfully neither Granger or any of the Weasley siblings seemed to have gotten off of the train yet.

The thestrals didn't freaked him out the way they had when he had caught sight of them last year. He was used to seeing their skeletal bodies, a reptilian like faces, and leathery wings that resembled a bat's. He was much less startled to see them then he had been last year. They still creeped him out with their gaunt and ghostly appearance but he didn't comment on them like he had last year. This year he let the others pull him into conversation after conversation until it was time to deboard the carriage and migrate towards the great hall. They split off rather reluctantly when it came time to sit down and wait for the sorting ceremony to begin.

He managed to get a seat at the end of the table with Neville on one side of him and Parvati Patil across from him. With several other Gryffindors sitting next to the three of them there was no way that Ron, Hermione, and Ginny could sit anywhere near him when they rushed into the great hall moments before the first years were supposed to come in. They were obviously annoyed, especially when they finally spotted Hadrian sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table. They didn't have enough time to comment or even try to talk to him before Professor McGonagall came in with a slightly smaller than average sized class of first years following after her.

The sorting ceremony was shorter than it usually was but Hadrian didn't particularly mind. It meant that he didn't need to pretend to be happy about all the new first year Gryffindors for as long as he normally did. The speech that Dumbledore gave was depressing but entirely useless since Hadrian knew that there was no 'dark forces attempting to penetrate the castle' this year. Marvolo had reassured him that he had no wish to bring harm to the students at Hogwarts nor did he have any reason to attempt an attack. The children of the death eaters, and Hadrian knew that what Dumbledore was saying wasn't true but the rest of the student body did not. Dinner was a somber affair and he did little more than push the food around on his plate. Down the table a ways he could see out of the corner of his eye that Ron and Hermione were obviously talking about him and that fact unnerved him. Ginny kept casting disbelieving looks his way as well from where she had managed to squeeze into a seat a little closer than the others.

Even as Ron stuffed his face with food and and while Hermione lectured on and on about lord knows what, they kept looking at him and it was getting rather annoying. He could see Draco easily from where the blond was sitting at the end of the table, with Theo on his right. Blaise had his back to Hadrian as did Daphne since they sat opposite of Draco and Theo. Pansy sat on Theo's right with Crab and Goyle across and next to her.

Every time he and Draco connected gazes the blond would use his fork to gesture to his plate and then proceed to stare at Hadrian until he took a bite of his food. Draco wouldn't look away until he was pleased with the amount that Hadrian ate and then the process would start all over again when the raven haired boy's intake of food slowed down again. The other Slytherins seemed to think it was the funniest thing in the world if the amused looks they cast towards Hadrian was anything to go by. From what the raven haired teen could see they teased Draco about it every now and then since the tips of his ears and his cheeks would flush red even as he seemed to sneer in denial to whatever they said.

It seemed that the whole thing did not escape Severus' notice because every time he looked at the head table and saw the professor watching their interactions the man had a blank expression but his eyes had a concealed mirth that you would only notice if you knew the softer side of the usually cold potions master. Hadrian was careful to avoid the looks that the headmaster not so subtly kept giving him. If the way that Draco kept looking at the Headmaster with a glare in his eye was saying anything than he to had noticed the looks that Dumbledore kept giving him.

The welcome feast ended far to soon for his liking and since it was already late there wasn't much time between now and curfew. The walk to Gryffindor common room had dread pooling in his stomach with every step. He left like a lamb that knew it was being lead to the slaughter house.

They were lead into the common room and given the new password. They were all encouraged to sit or stand and moments later Professor McGonagall came in, looking as serious as always. She didn't give the same speech she gave every year and instead gave them a speech about safety and the consequences that would be dulled out if anyone broke the rules she gave them. She was holding them to a high standard of accountability and responsibility this year.

She encouraged them to get rid of old grudges and talked about inter house unity, she went on and on but Hadrian didn't think it would truly help. The upper years were to far set in their ways and the lower years would follow the example set by the upper years, leaving them in a viscous never ending cycle.

"Life is far too short to hold silly school yard rivalries and when you're older you'll wish you had resolved the issues you had with your peers before you graduated" She had looked at them all, especially the upper years, before she had wished them a good night and informed them that they had less an hour and a half before curfew.

As soon as she had left he followed after her. He wasn't ready to face the others and their accusations just yet so he escaped before he could be cornered. He went to the dungeons and knocked on the door to Severus' office, knowing that that was where his guardian was most likely to be. He didn't have to wait long before the door to the office swung open seemingly by itself. Slipping inside he was happy to see Severus sitting at his desk write something on a piece of parchment while Draco was browsing the bookshelf and impressive collection of potions books that Severus had obtained over the years.

"What took you so long" Draco sounded almost like he was whining.

"Professor McGonagall wished to stress the importance of inter-house unity and the importance of resolving old grudges before it's to late" Hadrian rolled his eyes, knowing full well that no one would truly resolve the issues they had. This school had far to many students and there were far too many factors for most of them to just simply...make up, all because their head of house gave a depressing speech about regrets.

"Did you see all the looks Dumbledore kept giving you, I swore it was like he was trying to make you look at him only using the power of his mind"

"It would have been impossible to not notice" Hadrian rolled his eyes.

"Hadrian I'm sure Marvolo already told you this before you seperated at the train station but do not go anywhere alone with the headmaster" Severus spoke as he put down his quil and folded his hands in front of him "The same goes for you as well Draco, should either of you be called to his office come to me"

"I also expect both of you to come to me should anything happen"

"Yes dad, Father said the same things before we left" Hadrian responded distractedly as he looked at all the different potions vials that his 'dad' had on a shelf

It took him only moments to realize that he was being met with a stilted silence. Turning around he found Draco on the verge of breaking out into laughter while Severus stared, blinking at him owlishly in surprise. It was then that Hadrian had realised just what he said and his own eyes widened and his face flushed crimson. He watched for the man's reaction, waiting for some sort of emotion to pass through his face.

He had thought of calling Marvolo and Severus his dad and his father respectively but for some reason it felt wrong to give the title to anyone else when James Potter was his birth father. So instead he had been calling them dad and father in his mind. Another reason he had never called either of them by theses titles was his own self doubt. What if they didn't want him to think of him this way? What if they didn't think he was worthy of being their child and had only adopted him out of pity or because Severus had felt obligated to adopt him because he knew Hadrian's mother?

Now that he thought about it he had called Marvolo father just before Draco had dragged him onto the train and he felt rather horrified and nervous about the fact.

Severus finally seemed to come out of his daze "Yes while I may not be your head of house but I am your parent so if you request my presents Dumbledore can't force me to leave nor does he have the right to talk to you without me or your head of house present, especially if you have done nothing wrong."

"That's reassuring to know" Draco stated

"Quite. As for your classes I wish to forewarn you. You both share quite a few classes with either Mr. Weasley, Ms. Granger or have classes with both. Both will be in my advanced potions class this year...I know it will not be particularly easy but I need you both to refrain from any altercations that might call attention to yourselves." Severus sounded displeased by the fact that he had both Granger and Weasley in his class

"We wouldn't dream of it" Draco spoke sarcastically, thinking of all the ways he would love to get back at the idiotic Gryffindors for all the stress they were obviously putting on the person they falsely called their friend.

"I'm serious Draco, while Hadrian might be shown leniency you will not. Dumbledore has never been tolerant when it came to Slytherins who misstep"

"I understand Uncle Sev"

"Good, now off you go, I'm sure the other Slytherin are wondering where their prefect has gone"

"Oh joy" He rolled his eyes, thinking of all the first years he would probably have to deal with when he got back to the common room. "Goodnight, Hadrian, Uncle Sev"

With Draco gone there was a sort of tenseness to the room and Hadrian purposefully did not meet Severus' eyes.

Severus wasted no time, getting straight to the point the way that he seemed to have a talent for "Hadrian, I know that your head of house has a different set of rules than the one that I have but I wish for you to follow mine."

That certianly had his attention "What rules, Sir"

"Be respectful, obey the staff, no bullying, be in bed by eleven, do not break curfew, and if you do something do not get caught. If you do happen to get caught doing something request that I be present and I will attempt to keep you away from the headmaster for as long as possible, understood"

"Yes sir"

"You will not skip meals and you will come to me in the mornings or the night before for your potions, you've made lots of progress medically and I won't have that progress undone by you because you wish to avoid the general populace"

"I don't want to avoid the general populace" He sounded somewhat like petulant child with that response but he didn't particularly care "I just want to avoid a few people"

"There is one other thing before I send you off for the night"

Hadrian hummed softly in response as he turned to continue looking at all the things on the book shelf with a sleepy curiosity, It had been a long day and he was more than ready to go hide away in his dorm, even if it meant he would have to get badgered by Ron and Hermione before hand.

"I had a room made up for you in my quarters where you have been permitted to spend 2 nights a week if you choose as well as have meals there. The headmaster requires that you still spend time in both the dorm and the great hall so this can't be a constant thing but you do have a reprieve here should you need one."

The knowledge brought an almost blinding smile to his face "Really, you would let me stay with you if I wanted to"

"Obviously...I wouldn't have made the offer otherwise" Severus snarked and that made Hadrian smile grow even more.

"Go back to your dorm, curfew is in ten minutes" Severus handed him a pass with something that was almost a smile.

Before Hadrian left he turned and looked at the man that was quickly becoming a father figure "Goodnight...dad"

He turned with a shuffle of his robes and rushed out of the darkly lit office office before the man even had a chance to respond, his face burning crimson.

If he had stayed long enough for Severus to speak he would of heard the softly spoken "Goodnight my child"

\------------------------------------------

There was a hushed quiet hanging over the Gryffindor table the next morning at breakfast. They were subdued in the way they had been when Cedric had died and it set the rest of the students and staff on edge. Gryffindor was always rowdy and for every last one of them to be so quiet was incredibly out of character, especially on the first day of classes when they were usually so excited to recieve their class schedules.

Hadrian was the reason of course because when was he ever not the reason for the strange things that happened at Hogwarts

The common room was still lively with activity by the time he had gotten back the night before. Dean and Ginny were very obviously arguing about something near the stairs leading to the dorm rooms and Seamus, Colin, and a couple other Gryffindors were talking about something very animatedly. Neville was talking with Colin's little brother Dennis about what Hadrian was certain was herbology if the book the two were looking at was anything to go by. The rest of the common room was full of loud laughter and chatter as students caught up with their friends. Hermione and Ron were talking in furious, hushed, whispers by the fireplace but they stopped when they noticed Hadrian come into the common room.

Just like he knew they would they bombarded him the moment they noticed him, asking all kinds of questions and making all sorts of comments. Asking where he was all summer and asking why he never wrote to them, why he changed his hair and why he changed his glasses. Hermione went on and on rather insistently about how she would have been happy to cut it for him as if he wanted it cut in the first place while Ron went on and on about how it made him look like a right bint.

While Harry would have been docile and patient with the two red heads, Hadrian was far less willing to deal with their crap and told them so rather venomously which drew the attention of the others in the common room and never being one to back down when there was an audience Ron had started saying anything he could think of to offend him in a way that strongly reminded Hadrian of a toddler throwing a tantrum.

Hadrian managed to keep a icey sort of calm that he had picked up from the company he had been keeping lately and that only seemed to make the other teen more angry.

For every smartass retort that Hadrian had Ron only grew more angry until finally the other teen burst out with "I bet your parents are glad they died at least then they wouldn't have to deal with you"

"Ronald" Hermione sounded outraged but she didn't scold him either, nor did she try to defend her 'friend'

"You know what _Ronald_ I don't really give a damn what Lily and James Potter think of me, if you haven't noticed, their dead" Hadrian said furiously before he had stormed off to his dorm that he unfortunately shared with Ron. 

He didn't care about the tizzy he and Ron's argument caused. Dean and Neville had very viciously tore into Ron for his comments while Ginny and Seamus came to Ron's defense while Hermione tried in vain to keep the peace between the two groups while simultaneously and not so subtly trying to place the blame on Hadrian because obviously it had to be his fault the fight escalated.

He moved out of hearing range before his temper could flare up again but the next morning he noticed the way that the Gryffindors were particularly quiet, Lavender Brown had told him just how long the fight had been after Hadrian had gone.

Breakfast was an equally somber affair for the Gryffindors, and tensions were particularly thick. Luckily he didn't have to stay long, Professor McGonagall handed out their class schedules and Hadrian was pleasantly surprised to know that he would be taking several of the classes he had been interested in taking plus he had advanced Potions, DADA, Charms, Herbology, and Transfigurations, classes that all would prove to be useful in whatever career he took up in the future.

As soon as he got his schedule he left the great hall with Neville and they talked about their excitement for the new school year as they grabbed what they would need for classes and walked together.

He had DADA and Potions with Slytherin, Charms and Advanced Transfigurations with Ravenclaw, Herbology and History of Magic with Hufflepuff and . He even got the electives that he wanted, that included apparition and arithmancy. Narcissa had insisted that both classes were absolutely vital and he absolutely needed them. Apparition was not his favorite form of travel but he knew it would be useful to learn and mathematics by far was not his favorite subject but Lucius said it would be more applicable to daily life and both Severus and Marvolo had agreed.

He was in a rather good mood and his mood only improved as the day went on when no one bothered him once.

Weeks seemed to pass sort of the way they did back in his fourth year. Word of his name change, adoption, and alliance with the slytherins spread quicker than wildfire. Many students wrote him off as dark while others simply thought that he was trying to promote inter-house unity. Some people were happy for him while others absolutely loathed his existence. On more than one occasion Ron had tried to bait him into fights by calling him names and attempting to humiliate him. He wasn't in much better standing with Hermione or Ginny either.

Blowing up his and Draco's cauldron in potions and sending hexes his way whenever they passed each other in the corridors while Seamus and one of the other Gryffindors that Ron had befriended laughed. He did so well in his studies that soon enough his grades surpassed Hermione's. Hermione and Draco had been battling for top marks since the school year started and Hadrian knew that the muggleborn hated the fact that Draco was beating her out for top marks.

She nearly blew her top when she found that she wasn't in second or first place like she believed she was. She was in third place behind Hadrian who had grades far closer to Draco's. Since then she no longer tried to play peacekeeper between Ron and Hadrian and tried all the harder to prove that she was smarter than everyone else. She antagonized them in classes. Anytime they finished something before her she insisted that they had cheated somehow. Any spell he learned how to cast before her she claimed was dumb luck or because they had cheated, she even started doing the same thing in other classes that none of them even had with each other. God forbid that there was anyone who was smarter or had more talent than she did. Only Merlin knows how she ended up in Gryffindor when it was becoming rather obvious that she was much better suited to be a stereotypical Ravenclaw.

Even as all of this happened he thought that Ginny was the most unbearable by far.

She actively sought him out and almost always seemed to find him. Whenever she was near him she took it upon herself to practically drap herself against him and go on and on about how what he was doing was wrong and ridiculous. She went on and on about how he and Ron needed to make up and how he wasn't acting like himself because the Harry she knew would never be acting the way that he was.

She seemed to particularly like to harp about his hair, his glasses, and his clothes.

The things she said managed to anger him every time without fail. She told him how she thought he looked like a fag. She would go on and on about how he wasn't gay and that he wasn't being himself. It was complete and utter rubbish coming from a girl who knew absolutely about nothing about him and only cared about what she could gain from him. She was exactly the same as all the other people who wanted to know The-Boy-Who-Lived and not Hadrian.

She managed to constantly remind him that to many people he was nothing more than a tool to be disregarded after they had rung every drop of usefulness out of him every time she opened her mouth.

The teasing and harassment from the Gryffindors who sided with Ron and Hermione was constant but Hadrian never let it screw with him too badly. He always found places to go to avoid the treatment.

He would go to the library to study with Draco, Blaise, Theo, Daphne, and Pansy and they even gave him the password to the Slytherin Common Room. None of the other Slytherins dared to protest the fact because they all grew rather fond of the sassy boy that Draco kept dragging into their common room. The more that they saw of the teen, the more they grew to respect him. They also grew to enjoy the less cold side of themselves that the teen brought out of them with his kindness and almost Hufflepuff like positivity. It probably helped that Blaise, Theo, Pansy, and Daphne glared and subtly threatened anyone who dared to question it. The close group of friends that formed strong bonds incredibly fast hid out in the Room of Requirement between lessons and even the lake became a great spot for them to get away from the people that only ever bothered them.

He and Severus grew even closer and the private quarters of Severus Snape quickly became a safe haven away from home.

He would spend Friday and Saturday nights sleeping in his room in Severus' quarters and he and Severus would have meals with Draco twice during the school week on days when they didn't have potions class.

True to his word Hadrian wrote Marvolo letters once a week to tell him all about what was happening inside of Hogwarts. He told him almost everything except he kept the information about what was going on between him and the other Gryffindors a secret. He told no one about it, not even Severus. He didn't want to bother either of them when they had already done so much for him already. They gave him a family and a place to call home and set him up with everything that he needed to be successful after the war. To go to them complaining about other students not liking him made him feel like a spoiled brat that would tell the teacher anytime someone wouldn't play with him on the playground.

The part that he liked the best was being able to say that he had someone at home who liked to hear from him and would write to him in return. Each letter was a little different from the last, still formal but somehow still filled with a sort of fondness that Hadrian couldn't put a name to. Sometimes the letters were accompanied by a small bag of galleons or muggle sweets or other neat little trinkets that Hadrian adored. He even received letters from Lucius and Narcissa from time to time and he didn't want to ruin the positivity of the letters with something as silly as vicious schoolyard pranks.

Besides Draco and Pansy loved to prank Ron and Seamus and the other Gryffindors for the things they did to Hadrian. No one knew how they pulled it off but they did and even then the majority of Hogwarts was happy that Hadrian had gained a new family and a new identity that made him feel good about himself. They even called him Hadrian Snape instead of Harry Potter. Either people were happy for him, curious about how he started getting along so well with the 'bat of the dungeons', or they just didn't care.

Everything was going so perfectly perfect that Hadrian couldn't imagine anything going wrong.

Of course he should have known better. Voldemort may no longer have been his biggest threat but Dumbledore still tried to call him to his office with whatever flimsy excuse he could come up with and Ron and Hermione were so dead set on hating him that they had gained a small following of kids that either hated Hadrian as much as they did or kids that just wanted to be seen as cool because they hung out with the friends of Harry Potter. The group even went so far as to not only bother him, but slytherins and anyone who was seen as a Potter lover.

For the first time in a long time he spent Friday night in Gryffindor Tower because Severus was getting concerned and was starting to think that he was alienating himself from the rest of his housemates. The night before he did his hair in two simple braids and ignored the teasing from Ron and Seamus about how long his hair had gotten, Dean was passed out in his bed about an hour before hand, having fallen asleep while trying to finish up some homework without the distractions of the noisy common room and Neville was nowhere in sight leaving Seamus and Ron to think that it was the perfect opportunity to tell 'Harry' that he was being a spoiled prat.

He ignored them of course but something in the back of his mind something told him that something wasn't right. Sure they teased him all the time but this time it felt different, the way they said his name...the jokes that they made...it all felt more wrong than usual. Even if they refused to call him Hadrian out of spite

He was rather cruelly woken up early the next morning with a yelp as hands grabbing onto him and refusing to let go no matter how much he struggled and kicked. He was pulled off of the bed and landed on the floor with a loud thump and the air rushed out of him so quickly that it left him stunned. Before he could regain his feet or even attempt to someone kicked him. He tried to look around but without his glasses everything was blurry and they definitely weren't in reaching distance.

All around him there was just white noise. He knew that someone -Ron- was laughing and someone else - was that Seamus?- was mocking him. He tried to get up but someone pushed him back to the floor harshly.

"Leave me alone" He spat as he tried once again to regain his feet only to be pushed again. This time he connected rather harshly with the nightstand next to his bed, causing a lamp, his glasses, and his wand to fall to the floor. The lamp shattered, leaving glass everywhere but thankfully it wasn't lit so nothing caught on fire. Without his glasses he couldn't see so he had no real hope that he would be able to find either his glasses or his wand anytime soon.

Another shove made him stumble and before long the shoving turned into them trying to pin him to the floor while he screamed bloody murder. The more he struggled the more they tightened their grip. He heard something break and lost whatever hope he had about his glasses escaping this encounter intact.

"Relax Potter, we're just gonna take a little off the top" Ron's voice sneered.

It only took second for Ron's words to sink in because he wasn't exactly sure what 'take a little off the top' meant but he knew that it couldn't have meant anything good. Anything said in such a mocking tone had to be just as negative as it sounded. A hand found its way to his braided hair and yanked, causing his head to jerk to the side hashly even as he shouted for them to get off, too leave him alone.

"Be quiet Potter" Someone sneered

"Stop being such a baby" Seamus mocked

"Stop moving or I might accidently cut off your ear"

"See that's not so bad, you almost look normal without all that faggy hair"

Magic and rage and grief swelled up inside of him as he struggled. Ron was supposed to be his friend, what had Hadrian ever done to deserve this kind of treatment asides from existing. He started bucking with a new sort of rage and continued to very vocally voice his protests even though he knew that no one outside of the dorm could hear him. He figured they had at least been smart enough to cast a silencing charm on the room when no one came snooping when the lamp broke. Everything that happened in the dorm rooms could at least be heard in the dorms nearby unless someone used silencing charms

He heard another mocking laugh and something inside of his snapped.

His magic lashed out, the sound of glass shattering rung in his ears and the sound of heavy bodies hitting furniture hung in the air. A sort of stillness hung in the air and Hadrian was almost too startled to move. His hands searched the floor and clumsily clasped around what he was sure was once his pair of silver glasses, The frame on the left side was twisted from being stepped on and both of the lenses were decorated with spider web like cracks. Sliding them onto his face he squinted and did his best to ignore the cracks that slightly obscured his vision. He stood up on shaky limbs and squinted around the brightly lit room. 

The early morning sun was gleaming in through the now broken windows and the the room was empty with the exception of several pieces of overturned furniture and his three assailants. Hair and glass littered the floor around his feet. Ron was laying on the floor, with Seamus not far from him. It took him a moment to recognize the third boy on the floor near the door to the loo. He was a slim boy named Thomas Gorgon, a halfblood and in his fifth year. What Hadrian had ever done to wrong him he didn't know but the boy could often be found hanging out with Ron and the rest of the people who bonded well over the fact that they couldn't stand the new and 'stuck up' Harry Potter. All three boys were stuck in the body bind curse and the knowledge that Hadrian had been the one to put them in that state was just too much to handle

Overwhelmed with everything that happened he ran, without a thought he left the magically destroyed dorm and clumsily thundered down the stairs like a spooked colt trying to get away from imminent danger. He didn't think to grab shoes or a cloak or to even change his clothes or to grab his spare pairs of glasses from his trunk, he just wanted, needed, to get out of there. The common room was mostly empty with the exception of Neville and a few of the younger years who look startled by his sudden appearance.

"Hadrian...are you alright mate what happened" Neville stood up and made to approach his startled friend but Hadrian took two quick steps back before Neville could even get close.

He was far too startled and jumpy to make himself calm down. Deep down he knew that Neville would probably be one of the last people in the world to hurt him, but his mind was stuck in flight or fight mood and the last thing he wanted to do was fight. He didn't even have his wand on him and even if he did he couldn't think clearly enough to remember what Rodolphus and Rabastan had taught him and Draco over the summer holiday.

"R-Ron" It was sinking in. Ron really had been trying to hurt him on purpose "...In our dorm...they"

He didn't dare finish because Neville was taking another step towards him and his mind was screaming _too close_. Before he could properly think about how absurd he was acting he was running. He needed to find a safe place where there were no Gryffindors who would tease and taunt him for being a weak prat. He wanted to be somewhere where he was safe and wanted and protected. He wanted his friends. He wanted Draco.

Subconsciously he knew that the Slytherins as a whole usually woke up early in the mornings because Professor Snape was strict and refused to let the students in his care mistreat themselves by skipping meals or develope a bad habit such as over sleeping and before long he found himself in front of the Slytherin common room. He hissed at the portrait of a snake, the entrance to the slytherin common room. Even in parseltongue he sounded panicked.

The portrait did as he asked without question, It knew that Hadrian frequently visited the Slytherin common room and saw no issue with letting him in, especially when the little hatchling seemed like he was ready to have an entire melt down right there and than if he wasn't granted entrance.

The portrait opened and he was quick to stumble through it and into the silence of the Slytherin common room. Like he had predicted the whole house was awake and from the looks of it they were just about to leave to the great hall for breakfast. The moment Hadrian caught sight of platinum blond hair he approached him and wrapped the taller teen in a hug, face buried into the crook of Draco's neck and hidden from the view of the other shocked Slytherins.

Draco's reaction was almost immediate. He returned Hadrian's embrace despite how startled he was, he pulled Hadrian close to him even as he addressed Pansy.

"Pansy please take everyone to the great hall and get Professor Snape, send him here, he should already be there" Draco spoke softly but there was a sort of coldness to his voice that alluded to get how unsettled he was. "All of you will go and you will not speak a word about Hadrian being here or I will personally make sure that you regret ever opening your mouth"

Draco lead the distraught teen to one of the couches and gently began to coax him away from himself in an attempt to get the teen teen to calm down. No one dared to comment on the action and the rest of Slytherin house listened apart from Blaise, Theo, and Daphne who all gave Draco challenging looks before sitting down across from where he was attempting to console his friend.

"Draco...he's bleeding" Blaise spoke softly and it was only then that Hadrian realized that he had been cut by some of the broken glass in his dorm room.

"Hadrian what happened" Daphne sounded like she was torn between trying to console him and tearing apart whoever dared to harm him

He could only shake his head and he couldn't bear to look Draco in the eye so he settled for just staring at his clenched hands that rested in his lap. Even when Draco tried to meet his eyes he would jerk his head away. He could feel the tear tracks and the fresh tears covering his cheeks. He was humiliated and hurting and above all else he felt weak. He hated feeling so vulnerable and absolutely powerless.

His hair had long since been pulled out of its braid and was cut horribly wrong. It was cut shorter in some spots than it was in others and he hated it, it was choppy and was even worse than the time Petunia had cut his hair and before than he thought that that would be an impossible. His head felt lighter and above all else he just felt wrong.

Whatever sort of identity and sense of self that he had gained over the summer and during the school year was gone, ripped away from him in one violent and hurtful act. The confidence he had gained was gone and in that very moment it felt like everything was being ripped away from him. He was so worked up that he couldn't think of anything that Lucius and Narcissa had taught him. He couldn't remember how he had felt with Draco and Rabastan and Rodolphus over summer when they had been working on dueling skills. He couldn't remember how he had felt about anything. He couldn't remember what it had been like to have Marvolo's help with his summer assignments and the peacfullness he had gained when Severus had told him about his mom was nowhere to be found

Where he had once felt powerful he felt weak, where he had once felt protected he felt attacked. Before the summer holidays had started Hogwarts was the closest thing that he had to a home, the dorms and the common room and the room of requirement had all been sweet escapes but now...even they were tainted with death and unkindness and hate. Having a place to call home for 5 years had been a blessing but suddenly having that safety stripped away felt like a curse. Slowly over the summer and even during the school year he had begun to feel at home in Riddle Manor.

He grew used to seeing the Malfoys and the Lestranges everyday and he enjoyed having meals with Marvolo and Severus and Nagini everyday, even if it had been awkward in the beginning. Having to go back to Hogwarts and being met with such hostility had been hard but now with this latest incident he didn't know if he could do it anymore. He had learned to deal with the pranks and the curses and jinx that got played on him at least once a week but cutting his hair and breaking his glasses had been the final straw that pushed him to far.

He felt inferior to others and all he could think about was how he would always be the terrified child cowering in the boot cupboard under the stairs that was trying in vain to avoid his uncles wrath because he couldn't stop being a freak. No amount of new clothes and make overs would ever ever turn him into what others wanted him to be and soon enough they would see it too. Soon enough they would realize how worthless he was and get rid of him the same way his relatives had wanted to get rid of him all of his life.

How could he think anything else when people only ever mistreated him

He was drawn out of his dark musings by slender fingers hooking under his chin and turning his head. Emerald green eyes met onyx black eyes and all Hadrian could do was turn his head away again as a new wave of shame washed through him. Though his dad was never one to be swayed of course and the man simply repeated the action with a raised eyebrow. Severus was kneeling in front of him so that they were eye level, his mouth was set in a deep frown and his dark eyes bore into his son's as if he was willing Hadrian to start speaking without saying any words of his own.

"Hadrian, you will tell me what happened" Severus spoke first of course "and I want the truth, whoever did this will be punished"

How could he possibly voice the words when it felt like his stomach was filled with rocks and his lungs filled with water. he was certain that any word he spoke would just get stuck in his throat and strangle him until he no longer tried to speak. It sounded foolish sure but to his panic mind and body it sounded perfectly possible. He must have been quiet for to long because Severus seem prompted to speak again, encouraging his child to tell him what was wrong so that he could fix it, the way any father would want to fix any problem that their child had.

"Hadrian, you are physically hurt, as your father and as one of your professors I need to know who hurt you or I can not help you"

"They attacked me this morning..." His voice was no louder than a hoarse whisper and he didn't feel inclined to verbally share any more than that

Severus seemed to think for a moment before he made up his mind.

"Hadrian, if you do not wish to speak about it then perhaps you would allow me to enter your mind and see what happened for myself"

He thought it over for a moment. If someone else knew about what happened without him having to explain it than maybe he could get over it. Having someone else that understood what his life had been like before Hogwarts had helped him heal during the summer, who was he to say that it wouldn't work this time around. Nodding his head he decided to let Severus do whatever he thought was best, he had enough experience to know that Severus Snape would get what he wanted anyway.

"Legilimens" Severus whispered, wasting no time.

All it took was a few gentle prods for Hadrian to drop his mental walls and allow Severus in. There wasn't much digging to do since the incident was still so fresh in his mind. Severus saw not only this morning but all of the incidences that Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and their friends harassed him. Hermione's constant denial and condensation about his grades and classwork, Ron and Seamus' constant pranks and teasings, even Ginny's constant flirting and generally appalling behavior. Not long after Severus entered his mind was he quickly pulling out looking intimidating and as serious as he always did. He failed to cover up his reaction to Hadrian's memories, his lips were turned in a half sneer and eyes burning with so much anger that Hadrian flinched away from the look.

"This behavior will be reported to the headmaster and your head of house immediately after you see Madam Pomfrey."

Hadrian opened his mouth to protest but before the first words could even tumble fourth from his mouth Severus' hand was gently covering it. His face had softened a bit and he no longer looked infuriated but he definitely did not look pleased in any sense of the word.

"No arguments Hadrian. My first priority is your safety and the safety of your fellow classmates, it is clear the Mr. Weasley, Mr Finnigan, and Mr. Gorgon pose an obvious threat to your well being as well as Draco's" Severus insisted "This has gone beyond a school yard rivalry and I will not stand for it"

He didn't give Hadrian a chance to speak before he was standing up and casting a patronus charm. He and Draco watched as Severus whispered to the silver doe softly before it bounded off. Hadrian noticed that Blaise, Daphne, and Theo must have been shooed out of the common room because none of them were there anymore. Moments after Severus' patronus disappeared Madam Pomfrey endered the the common room through the floo, looking as serious and concerned as she always did. As soon as she saw Hadrian she smiled somewhat softly before pulling out her wand to run a diagnostic charm while asking him about how his school year was going, obviously trying to be calming.

Ever since Hadrian got adopted and no longer had to deal with his yearly encounters with someone who wanted to cause him harm he stopped seeing Madam Pomfrey as often as he had in previous years. He answered her questions as honestly as he could without telling her to much and when she finished healing the cuts on his shoulders and the cuts on his feet from stepping on glass she bid him and Draco a good day with a comment of not wanting to see them hurt again any time soon.

Severus' patronus darted back into the room moments before Madam Pomfrey disappeared in the floo with a burst of flames. The patronus nodded at the potions master imploringly for a moment, obviously conveying a message before it faded out. 

"I've called a meeting with the headmaster after breakfast, Professor McGonagall will be there as well as Mr. Weasley, Mr Finnigan, and Mr. Gorgon. I will be in attendance as well. Draco, if you'd please allow for Hadrian to borrow a set of clothes. Hadrian I will fix your glasses after I have shown them to the headmaster as proof, your hair must also wait to be fixed. Madam Pomfrey will be submitting a report of the incident to the headmaster as well."

All he could do was nod his head, feeling miserable

"Come on Hadrian, I think I have the perfect shirt for you"

Hadrian allowed himself to be tugged through the Slytherin Common room and off to Draco's dorm where the blond made Hadrian sit on his bed and stay there until he found exactly what he was looking for. He handed Hadrian a pair of black slacks and a long sleeved royal blue button up shirt. He even resized a pair of shoes for Hadrian to wear since he had left his own dorm barefoot in his rush to get as far away from his tormentors as quickly as possible.

As soon as Hadrian finished changing he and Draco went back to the common room only to be met with the sight of Lucius, Narcissa and Marvolo talking with Severus in hushed voices. Why the two adults were there was beyond them but neither could deny that their parents being there made them feel more at ease about the whole situation. Draco hated seeing Hadrian in such a state. The only time he had ever seen his friend...and secret crush... look this devastated and miserable was at the ends of their fourth year when Cedric had died and again at the end of their fifth year when Sirius had died. 

Lucius noticed the two teens first and he looked rather angry about what he saw.

Next to his own son was his godson, looking debauched and more defeated than Lucius had ever seen the usually defiant teen.

Marvolo saw them next and he looked more angered than Lucius had. Marvolo had glamoured his features so that it would be even harder for any of his old professors to recognize him. His black was slightly longer with more curl to it and his eyes were blue instead of their normal startling red or brown. He often changed his eye color depending on who he was dealing with. He used red when he was dealing with his followers and his original brown eyes when he was with his close family, that included Hadrian, Severus, the Malfoys, and the Lestranges. but now his eyes were blue and had the righteous fury of a blizzard in them. 

He raised his hand and beckoned Hadrian to them with a finger, making a classic 'come here' gesture.

He stepped forward with his his head bowed and hands clasped behind his back like a child that was trying in vain to hide the cookie he had been caught taking out of the cookie jar. His hands were clenched tightly where they were entwined. He stopped when he was directly in front of his father but stared intently at his shoes because he couldn't bring himself to look the man in the eye.

Fingers hooked under his chin in a way that was eerily similar the way that Severus had earlier and stunning green eyes met icey blue.

"Did I not inform you to go to Severus should anything happen, I believe that getting hexed in the corridors and sabotaged in classes warranted your Dad's attention, Hadrian"

He didn't shrug his shoulders the way he would have before his lessons with Narcissa, she had made sure to rid him of that particular bad habit so instead of shrugging he gave the most intelligent answer that he could think of "Didn't want to both him, it wasn't all that different from my fourth year..." 

"The severity was not the point Hadrian, we care for you, your safety is of major importance to us, when something happens we want to know about it before it could escalate to something like this" Marvolo sounded exasperated and concerned. Like a parent who hadn't heard from their child in days only to find out that the child was fine and just choosing to not answer their phone.

"We should go, Breakfast will be over and soon" Narcissa ushered them all out of the room.

The walk to the headmasters office was quiet and brisk, Severus lead the group with long, quick, strides, with most of the adults matching his pace easily. Draco purposefully lagged behind to stay with his friend, who didn't dare look up from the stone floor as he walked.

Thankfully they didn't run into a single student on their way to the headmasters office.

Severus practically spat the password 'Cockroach Clusters' and stormed up the steps that the gargoyle revealed, Narcissa was quick to follow after him and Hadrian was reminded of that one muggle saying 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'. Lucius lead Draco and Hadrian up the staircase with firm but gentle hands on their shoulders as he walked up the stairs behind them. From the sounds of it Marvolo was right behind them and just as furious as Severus and Narcissa seemed to be.

Dumbledore's office looked exactly the way it had been when he was there at the end of his fifth year. Dumbledore sat behind his desk attempting to look like he had everything under control while Minerva paced and glared at him off to the side. In front of them Ron, Seamus, Thomas and Neville were sitting in front of the headmaster's desk. Mrs. Weasley, Mrs. Finnigan, and Mr. Gorgon were there as well, looking far from pleased with their children. Neville sat off to the right, glaring daggers at the three other teens

"Ah perfect timing. Lord Malfoy, Lady Malfoy, I was not expecting you to be in attendance with us today"

"Madam Pomfrey contacted me with a report of physical harm against another student, as well as medical reports from other student's my own son's included, as head of the school board I felt it prudent to investigate the matter first hand" Lucius replied smoothly.

"Professor Snape contacted me with concerns about my son's safety so I'm here" Narcissa stated simply

"Yes of course" Dumbledore tried to hide his displeasure. He didn't even acknowledge Marvolo."Now I'm sure everyone would like to know why they were summoned here. I'm sure that Mr. Weasley, Mr Finnigan, and Mr. Gorgon have something to say to Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy" Dumbledore looked to the three boys expectantly

"We're sorry for cutting your hair and for hexing you and Draco in the hallways" Seamus responded first

"Yeah we're sorry" Thomas mumbled

"Sorry Harry" Ron looked less than pleased to have to apologize and they all knew that it definitely wasn't sincere.

"You're not forgiven" Hadrian glared at Ron, shocking most of the room, Harry Potter had never been a cold or unforgiving person so for him to not accept an apology, from his best friend no less, showed just how deeply hurt he was by the actions against him.

A simple and insincere apology would never be enough to sooth the hurt and damage that Ron and his cronies inflicted 

Dumbledore looked pleased "Splendid, now that that is settled I see no reason why we can not move passed this-"

Minerva cut him off at the same time as Severus "Albus you can't be serious"

"Albus you must be joking"

"The boys must be punished Albus, they caused physical harm to both the boys not to mention countless others" Severus snarled. He wasn't lying. Poppy sent countless incident reports about kids being sent to the hospital wing after a 'prank' or a particularly bad stinging hex or some other jinx to the school board after Albus dismissed her concerns.

"The boys have apologized and I see no reason for further action"

"Dumbledore there are rules that must be followed, those three caused serious harm, look at the boy" Minerva spoke, pointing to a meek looking Hadrian.

This caused several small arguments to break out. Mr. Gorgon and Mr. Finnegan both started to very verbally berate their sons while Minerva and Severus started to argue with Dumbledore. Narcissa snidely suggested that the three boys needed to be suspended which sparked a rather viscius one sided argument between Narcissa and Mrs. Weasley who believed that since her boy already apologized there was no need for him to be suspended. She sounded foolish compared to Narcissa who responded like the dignified pureblood she was while Molly let her temper get the better of her. Marvolo looked around at the scene around him with amusement while Lucius looked rather annoyed with the happenings.

Hadrian hated all of it and he could tell that Draco did as well. The blond was almost slouching with a scowl on his face that he obviously picked up from his godfather.

Soon enough Lucius snapped.

"That's enough! As acting head of the board of governors Mr. Weasley, Mr Finnigan, and Mr. Gorgon are suspended for the next two weeks, as per protocol for any situation where any student harms another. The boys will be put on probation upon their return to classes and will be permitted to obtain their missed assignments when they return to school. Until that time they will not be permitted on the premissise"

"You can't do that!" Molly shrieked in outrage, she was absolutely fuming and Ron's face was almost as red as his hair.

"Lucius surely such lengthy punishment is extreme" Dumbledore tried to argue but before he could even finish Lucius cut him off "Professor Dumbledore, as stated in the school's charter any student who causes physical harm to another student will face suspension or expulsion. Given that these boys cause harm to several other students they will face punishment"

Turning to the parents Lucius spoke briskly "Should any of you wish to appeal the suspension you may take up the matter with the school board"

It was an obvious dismissal and Mr Finnigan, and Mr. Gorgon took it as such, they bid everyone a good day and both Mr Finnigan, and Mr. Gorgon Sr. apologized to Hadrian and Draco for the atrocious behavior of their children. They didn't protest the suspension because both men felt like their children deserved the punishment for behaving so disgracefully. Neville offered Draco a friendly nod and gave Hadrian a friendly but tense smile before he had left. That just left the three members of the Hogwarts staff, Hadrian, Draco, two very displeased Weasley's and, The Malfoys and Marvolo who had moved to sit beside his son.

"Albus do something!!" The weasley matriarch demanded.

"I'm sorry Molly but there is nothing I can do, you will have to pursue the matter with the school board" Dumbledore was fuming internally, how dare Lucius undermine his authority by overruling him. How dare the brat not accept the apology given to him, this boy in front of him was not the Harry Potter that he wanted. He needed the meek, guilt ridden boy that trusted him unconditionally. 

Molly huffed and shuffled a just as angry Ron out of the room with her, leaving just the Malfoy's, Severus, Hadrian, Marvolo, and Minerva in the presents of one Albus Dumbledore. The headmaster was doing his best to portray the grandfatherly figure who only had everyone's best interest in mind even though most of the room saw right through the act.

"I truly am sorry that this happened Harry...Draco"

"Its Hadrian, Headmaster, Hadrian got adopted over the summer holiday and his name changed during the adoption" Draco spoke happily, playing up the part of an enthusiastic friend, trying to make light of a grim situation.

"Of course, my apologies" Dumbledore looked like he had bit into a lemon

"Headmaster Dumbledore as Hadrian's father I have several concerns regarding his safety" Marvolo spoke up for the first time since they stepped into the office. "I was informed by both Lord Malfoy and by my husband that should I feel that my son was in danger in his house I could request he be resorted" It made something in his chest warm, it truly sounded like Marvolo was concerned about his safety.

He knew that Marvolo cared, the man had said as much not that long ago but to hear it said to him and than to hear see it made it feel like two very different things.

"That I'm afraid is only in extreme cases Mr....."

Marvolo ignored the old man's prodding, knowing full well what the man was trying to get his name out of him "My son has been in the house of Godric Gryffindor for over five years and has a dangerous encounter each year. No disrespect to Professor McGonagall but I do not feel that my son is safe in the house of the lions"

"Yes of course, you see, we can not resort Har-Hadrian unless it has the approval of his current head of house and I'm sure that nothing like this will happen again"

"Hadrian has been attacked by teachers in his first, second, and fifth years. He faced a basilisk, he was forced to compete in a competition he wanted no part in and now he has been attacked by members of his own house. If that is what you call safe than I will have no choice but to call your sanity into question with the school board" Marvolo threatened calmly, looking for all the world like the regal and powerful being that he was.

"His guardian and two of his Professors agree Albus, Mr.Snape will be resorted, or he will be pulled from Hogwarts altogether" Severus glowered, it was a bluff. They wouldn't pull him out of Hogwarts without talking to him about it first but Dumbledore didn't know that.

"I must say that I agree with Severus and Lord Peverell." Minerva didn't speak again until she had everyone's attention, she looked like a raw mix of anger and sorrow "As much as I loved having Hadrian in my house he is no longer safe there. There is no way to ensure that what happened this morning won't happen again so the only way to prevent another incident is to resorted Hadrian"

"Minerva surely you-"

"I mean it Albus. Lord Malfoy and Professor Snape agree with me as does Mr.Snapes Guardian, given that they know all about incidents that have taken place over the last few years" She gave Dumbledore a knowing look and the old wizard was left with no other option aside from letting the group have their way.

"Than we shall resort him" Dumbledore spoke, a hint of displeasure in his voice even as he stood up and moved around his posture had a sort of aggressiveness to it that no one could miss.

Hadrian himself could not believe what was happening and neither could Draco. They had never known of such a thing as a resorting and for one of them to not only see it happen right in front of them but to actually go through it sounded fascinating. Hadrian couldn't see it as anything more than another miracle, a second chance.

He had made a mistake not accepting Draco's friendship in their first year and he had been given a chance to fix that mistake. He never had a proper family or truely known what it felt like to be loved and cared for but even now with his fathers and friends and the new life he now had was another chance. He had made a mistake talking the sorting hat into placing him somewhere he didn't truly belong and they were all things he regretted until he was given an opportunity to fix those regrets.

Now he was being given another second chance and he did not intend to waste it.

The sorting hat looked exactly as it did back during the sorting ceremony at the beginning of the year and like it had in his first year.

Dumbledore handed the hat to professor McGonagall before sitting back in his chair, looking much like a pouting child in Hadrian's mind. Draco moved away slightly to give Hadrian more room, with a classic Malfoy smirk on his face. He was obviously happy about the fact that he knew more than the adults in the room.

'It seems we are meeting again, Mr. Riddle-Snape, still very difficult I see, still plenty of courage as well'

'That mind of yours has improved since we first met but that thirst to prove yourself has only grown' The hat continued to muse to itself before asking 'any suggestions?'

'I want to be where I should have been all along'

Hadrian's eyes strayed to where Draco sat. The blond was still smirking and nearby Narcissa and Lucius shared knowing looks.

Marvolo looked like a mix of proud and delighted and Severus looked smug. Now that Gryffindor was out of the mix they all knew where he would be going

'Better be.....SLYTHERIN'

He took the hat off his head and handed it back to his old head off house, a large grin plastered on his face that she returned with a kind smile of her own. Draco was grinning as well and Hadrian could tell that Severus was doing his best to hid just how pleased he was even while Marvolo looked beyond pleased with himself.

"Mr. Snape's things will be moved to the Slytherin dorms by the end of the night"

"My dorm has an extra bed" Draco interrupted hurriedly "Hadrian is already friends with my dorm mates, it'll make his transition to Slytherin easier"

"Now I don't think...." Dumbledore started to speak only for Minerva to cut him off. Her glare rivaled that of Severus' and Marvolo's particularly when they were furious beyond belief.

"That's a wonderful idea, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Snapes things will be brought to your dorm room then" She glared at Albus, daring him to interject "You are both excused from your morning curriculars as well"

"If that is all than we shall take our leave" Severus stated

Marvolo stood from where he had sat down and nodded for the others to let them know that it was time for them to take their leave.

"Thank you for your time, Professors" Narcissa wore a smile that was similar to Draco's but it was entirely her own. It was less smug in a way and far more feminine. She was saying everything that she was too proper to say with that single look 'We won, we outsmarted you. There is no way you can get past us without there being hell to pay'

Breakfast was well over by the time they left the gargoyle staircase so Draco cast a Notice-Me-Not charm on them both as they trailed behind the group of adults, passing by curious students who didn't notice them but the group of people walking with Professor Snape. They successfully made it back to somewhere that Hadrian had never been, it was a living room and it didn't take much guess work for Hadrian to assume that it was his dad's private quarters.

The room was warm and decorated in deep blue with black and silver accents.

For some reason it felt shockingly similar to coming home.


	3. Winter Wonderlands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are rocky but not nearly as bad as he thought they would be because really...they have been a hell of a lot worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Y'all sorry it took me so long to update, to make up for it I made this chapter a little longer and I've already set to work on the next chapter!

Severus' living room was cozy and simple. The coldness of the stone walls was offset by the deep blue furnishings and the black and silver patterns of the throw pillows. The furniture in the room was black and it made the room feel far cozier than it should have. The fire was lit and warmed the room nicely, If Hadrian was being honest it was one of his favorite places to spend time. People constantly bothered him when he was in the library trying to do his work and he learned quickly back in his first year that Gryffindor tower was no place to study and anyone who thought otherwise was foolish to believe otherwise.

Before he and Draco had become friends he would either sneak off into empty classrooms to get his work done or stay up late in order to do it while the rest of the tower was either asleep or like him, taking advantage of the quiet time. When he had found the Room of Requirement he found that it was the perfect place to get away and it quickly became one of his favorite places in the castle, for studying or otherwise. It was full of pleasant memories of him and Draco but now it held a certain bitterness to it because the DA had practically taken over it during fifth year. At the time Hadrian hadn't minded one bit because they had been fighting against Umbridge and the Ministry. Now though, knowing that so many others knew about it, it felt unsafe to go to if he wanted to avoid as many people as possible.

It didn't help that any time he went there to get away, Ron and Hermione almost always showed up, claiming to have been looking for him so they can either, hang out, or so that they could bother him with their own ideas about how he should be spending his time.

Being able to stay with Severus, even for just two days out of the week, felt like a blessing and he and Draco had come to spend a lot of time in the living room or in Hadrian's room. It had quickly become much like home even though it felt odd to call it that when neither Marvolo nor Nagini were there. He had gotten used to them being around all the time. He had also gotten used to Bellatrix's insistent and ridiculous questions about anything and everything in his life.

He got used to Rabastan's goofy jokes and dark humor and Rodolphus' frequent questions about how he was settling in and about how his studies were going. Did he take his potions, did he enjoy the library, how his political lessons were going, how he and Draco were doing, all of it. He missed being around the people he had started to expect to always be there.

"Triply" Severus called softly and a house-elf appeared with a pop, looking excitedly at Severus. The pop startled Hadrian and he flinched slightly but he was thankful that no one seemed noticed.

Triply was small for a house-elf, but she still had the large eyes and floppy ears that all house-elves had. Hadrian had gotten used to her a while ago, she was nice and reminded him greatly of Dobby and Rimly but he never called for her because he knew she was always busy attending to her Hogwarts duties. She wore a slightly haggard-looking child-sized shirt with the Hogwarts crest on it, Hadrian knew for a fact that she was strongly attached to the shirt and refused to have it fixed up for some strange reason.

"Breakfast for six please, and a nutrient potion please."

"Triply be getting yous breakfast and potions right away" The house-elf reminded him of a more relaxed version of Dobby, who was always far too excitable to be healthy.

Draco canceled the concealment charm he had cast on him and Hadrian before he tugged the raven-haired teen over to the plush looking couch and sat him down. Hadrian didn't do much to protest the action since overall he just felt numb. After a moment he accepted the now fixed glasses that Draco pushed into his hand and put them on, even as he continued to stare at nothing, in particular.

"I'm going to go find Daphne, she usually keeps that hair potion that I used on you in her trunk" Draco spoke reassuringly even as he tried to hide his worry.

The blond slipped out of the room with one last look to his friend before he went off in search of the one thing that he was sure would lift Hadrian's spirits. To the adults in the room, Draco looked like a concerned friend and nothing more but internally he was seething and beyond ready to hex the sanity out of everyone he came across. Anyone who neared him in the hallways just seemed to know to not get too close if the wide birth they gave him was anything to go by.

Soon enough Triply came back looking just as excited as she had the first time she appeared with plenty of food and the nutrient potion that Severus requested. She set it all out on the coffee table before disappearing with a bow and a pop. The plate that was in front of him looked completely unappetizing. Usually, he hated to waste food and he wasn't a picky eater in any sense of the word but he just couldn't see the appeal of the meal. Two fried eggs, a slice of toast, a couple of strips of bacon, and a cup of oatmeal was a meal that he normally would eat and enjoy but today it all looked bland and gross.

After downing the potion with a grimace he managed to eat two small spoonfuls of oatmeal, a less than a full bite of one of the eggs, and take a bite of toast but it all tasted like ash in his mouth. The very idea of forcing more food down his throat made his stomach roll in protest.

He caught the subtle looks that all the adults kept sharing as they looked between themselves and him but he couldn't be bothered to act like he was fine at the moment. Narcissa and Lucius sat on the second couch on the other side of the coffee table. Severus was standing and looking very displeased and Marvolo sat in the wing back chair that Severus was standing near, leaving Hadrian sitting by himself on the other couch with Lucius sitting across from him. It seemed like no one could think of what to talk about and he was grateful for that...he wasn't in much of a talking mood.

He could only sit there for so long just pushing his eggs around his plate in a very improper manner that Narcissa had to be dying to correct him over before he was pushing his plate away and receiving several displeased looks. Severus and Marvolo looked the most displeased, especially when he stood up and made to leave the room. He wanted to be alone to deal with his thoughts, to try and make sense of everything that had happened this morning.

"Hadrian you're being rude, sit back down and finish your food" Marvolo admonished, voice firm and gaze sharp as he looked at his heir in displeasure and something Hadrian didn't particularly wish to acknowledge.

"I'm not hungry" He mumbled, eyes downcast and shoulders slumped. He looked exactly as he used to when he was trying to avoid a beating because a meek Harry was less likely to be beaten than a defiant Harry. Rationally he knew that Neither Severus nor Marvolo would hit him, they had both gone to great lengths to tell him so but being told that and actually knowing that were two very different things. Old habits die hard when one is in the middle of an emotional breakdown.

"It was not a request Hadrian. You need to eat at least half of your plate. This is not up for discussion"

The words made something swell inside of his chest. The words made him agitated. He wanted to be left alone, why couldn't Marvolo understand that. Why couldn't everyone just leave him alone, it wasn't like he asked for all this attention. Why couldn't they just leave him alone and treat him as if he wasn't there? That's all he wanted from everyone, why could no one do it? He took care of himself often enough and missing one meal wouldn't hurt him all that much, he had missed more meals than that at the Dursleys and he was fine. A little thin and underweight sure but he was alive and right now he couldn't stand the thought of food.

"Hadrian, you heard your father, you need to stick to your diet. If you still have any hope of gaining any more muscle mass than you'd best do as he said" Severus sounded just as displeased and Hadrian faintly remembered his rule about not skipping meals, the faint memory wasn't enough to calm his mind though.

"I won't eat it and you can't make me" Hadrian exploded, fists clenched at his sides and his eyes suspiciously wet with what he was sure was quickly forming tears. "just leave me alone"

He repeated the last part sounding just as angry and desperate as he had earlier but there was less heat to the words as he turned and ran from the room and through the hall to the room in Severus' quarters that had become his. The room was his safe space that no one could enter without his permission. Severus had offhandedly told him several times in the beginning that this room was _his_ and no one would enter the room without his permission and that as long as Severus wasn't concerned about his charges' safety then he would never enter the room without permission. Severus always knocked and waited for Hadrian to answer before entering, and never commented about how Hadrian decorated. His only rule was that he kept the room clean and orderly and didn't hide anything potentially dangerous or forbidden on Hogwarts grounds.

The door slammed behind him without him even touching it and there was a loud echoing click that indicated that the door was now locked. He didn't think about how he was so upset that he magic was lashing out and simply threw himself onto his bed and closed the deep red canopy curtains around his bed and proceeded to sob into his pillows.

The only thing running through his mind was how he had just completely ruined everything. Not only had he lost his temper but he forgot his manners, he had shouted at them and questioned the authority that they had over him. Up until this point, they never had a reason to punish him for anything and he had just given them the perfect opportunity to take a belt to him for the disrespect he had shown them, shown in front of company no less.

Uncle Vernon would have beaten him bloody the moment that Harry refused to eat his food because it was ungrateful, Uncle Vernon would have probably killed him if he had spoken to him like that. Harry had been cheeky sure, but never so outright defiant. Not even when he had blown up his Aunt Marge and threatened to hex Vernon in order to get out of the house. He had run away from them before he had been dismissed and then he slammed the door. One of these reasons alone would have been more than enough of a reason for Uncle Vernon to punish him and he just did all of that in one shot with men that had been known for their less than stellar tempers.

Now all he could think of was how they wouldn't want a child as grossly ungrateful and misbehaved as him. They would punish him and then get rid of him the very first chance that they got. He couldn't help but think that he had ruined his one chance to be happy.

All the time and money they had invested into him to make him look and act like a proper heir must have looked like nothing but a waste in their eyes.

Now that he was alone he felt nothing but shame and guilt and grief. He was already mourning the family that he had to be losing because he was absolutely sure that they wouldn't want him around after this. They would ship him off to an orphanage or maybe Marvolo would decide to kill him after all and fulfill the prophecy or maybe they would want him to suffer for his disobedience and decide to send him back to the Dursley's instead.

The thought forced another sob out of him that shook his lean frame.

He had taken off his glasses at some point and they were laying somewhere near his feet unless he had accidentally kicked them to the floor. Tears and snot were quickly soaking into his pillow and it was becoming hard to breathe with his face so squished into the pillowcase but he couldn't bring himself to pull his face away. Maybe if he smothered himself long enough then he wouldn't have to find out what Marvolo and Severus planned to do with him. It would be better than dealing with the situation or all of the suffocating feelings rolling through his chest, making his heart pound almost painfully hard against his ribcage.

Not long after he locked himself away in his room there was a soft knocking on the door that he barely heard over the sounds that were leaving him.

He could only bear to bring himself up for air long enough to speak "Go Away"

"Hadrian opens the door, you'll make yourself sick if you continue as you are" Marvolo's voice was perfectly calm but had the same firm edge to it that Hadrian had heard only from other adults when they were reprimanding their children.

"Just leave me alone"

There was muffled noise from the other side of the door but he paid it no mind as he buried his head back into his pillow and covered himself with his blanket, hoping for all the world that he would just disappear and never be found. He stilled instantly when he heard the lock on the door unlock with a click and the door open with a slow creak. The bed dipped on either side of him and he buried his head further into the pillow pressed against his face.

"Hadrian, you know we don't tolerate this kind of behavior, we understand that you are upset but we will not allow for the progress that you have made over the last several months to be undone. You have worked too hard to let yourself be diminished by the likes of Ronald Weasley"

It wasn't just that. For years people have either embraced him or cast him aside, slapped a label on him, and washed their hands of him. Some people thought he was evil because of how well he was getting along with the Slytherins, others called him a murderer and a liar for saying that Voldemort was back and that Pettigrew had killed Cedric, saying that he was the reason that Cedric was dead. Either way, no one could ever just ignore him. Sometimes he just wanted to disappear until people forgot all about the name Harry Potter.

He didn't dare say any of that though, not out loud to the people who probably already didn't want to deal with him any more than necessary. Not when he already caused so much trouble so early in the day.

"Hadrian James Peverell Riddle-Snape you need to acknowledge our presents in the very least, we are merely concerned about you" Severus sounded tired. "We want to help but we can't do that if you do not talk to us"

"I never did anything to them...why couldn't they just leave me alone"

His words were muffled from still having his face shoved into his pillow but the two adults seemed to get the meaning behind the mumbled words.

"Children have an unimaginable amount of cruelty hidden in their tiny little bodies." Severus sighed "Sometimes, when children such as Mr.Weasley struggle to express certain emotions, they lash out, much like you did earlier. It was unfair and unreasonable for your housemates to treat you the way that they have but you must understand Hadrian that the way that others have treated you is not a reflection of your character but a reflection of their own insecurities"

He stayed silent as he mauled over the words in his head. He could see the point that Severus was making but as irrational as it was he couldn't quite wrap his head around the idea that it wasn't something he'd done or something that he had that made others insecure. He couldn't possibly think of why people would be jealous of him. Before Marvolo and Severus he had been nothing more than an orphan that was destined to find death one way or another, constantly haunted by people who wanted to know more about the boy who supposedly killed the world's most powerful living dark lord to date when he was no more than an infant. Even before he started Hogwarts there was nothing remarkable about his life. He was an orphan living with relatives that hated and hurt him because of something he couldn't control, he had no friends or anyone who truly cared for him. What could anyone possibly see in his life that was worth envying?

Maybe now, now that he had a better understanding of social norms and people who actually cared about him, there was something for people to be jealous of but that didn't really explain the behaviors from the past. The betrayals and the beatings and the hurt and the outright dangerous things that had been thrown at him left and right.

"I wish things were like they were over the summer, at least then I didn't have to worry about getting attacked while I was sleeping"

"No then you only have to worry about Nagini slithering her way into your bed and crushing you" Marvolo snorted in amusement.

"But she makes a wonderful guard snake" Hadrian snarked back before he actually started to consider the idea.

"You are not allowed to use a man-eating snake to guard you when you sleep in the dorms"

How Severus could understand his line of thought when he couldn't even see Hadrian's face was beyond him but he didn't bother pulling his face away from his pillow long enough to say anything.

"Do you plan on coming up for air anytime soon? Or do you plan on smothering yourself" Severus' voice was calm but that didn't mean that Hadrian wasn't in trouble, that he wasn't mad at Hadrian? Even if his words were almost more like a teasing comment instead of a question or reprimand. Even if his words from before were given in an attempt to make him feel better about the truly rotten situation he found himself in.

He still couldn't bring himself to comment.

When that didn't get a reaction the older wizard sighed as he turned to his husband, unsure of what to do. Severus was unsure of how to handle the situation. He had never particularly had to deal with something like this. Sure he was a teacher and he had to deal with distressed students from time to time but at this moment he wasn't dealing with just any distressed student. He was dealing with _his extremely distressed son_. He had no parenting skills or really any experiences with children outside of teaching and handling his godson and Draco had never been in such a situation like this.

"Hadrian, while we are not particularly happy about your outburst we are not mad at you" Marvolo started "We would like to discuss this with you and help you but we can not do that if you continue to act as you are now"

He knew they were right, that he was acting childish by keeping his head shoved into his pillow and his shoutings earlier had been less than mature but he couldn't think of any other way to express himself when he had been trying to do so for months with no progress. He didn't know how else to get people to listen but directing his frustrations at the few people that did understand him was probably not the way to go about it. He gave a sniff as he slowly turned his head to the side to reveal his face. He was now facing Severus because he couldn't bring himself to look at Marvolo but he couldn't exactly look at Severus either so he focused his blurry gaze on the fuzzy outline of the small, mostly empty bookcase. He didn't keep many books in his room, preferring to keep them in his room at the manor, he either went to the library or called Rimley to get him the books he wanted from the library at Riddle Manor.

He was allowed to with the excuse that the books were to help advance his studies as an heir since he was still so new to the whole concept. Severus had approved but he had to keep it a secret or else Dumbledore would likely throw a fit. Students were rarely allowed to use their families’ personal house-elves at Hogwarts. Dumbledore had been the one to instate the rule claiming it gave purebloods students an unfair advantage as well as make them hold certain mentalities that create spoiled students.

Severus and Marvolo seemed to take it as progress even if he wasn't looking directly at them and Marvolo even offered him a handkerchief which he accepted after a moment and used to wipe at his wet cheeks and then fisted tightly in his hand, still determinedly not looking at either of them. He didn't want to see the shame or disgust that might be on their faces, even if they didn't sound ashamed of him or disgusted by him, he couldn't help but think that they were. He was glad that he wasn't wearing his glasses. His eyesight may be better than what it had been but he still couldn't quite make out their expressions without squinting really hard and he was purposefully not squinting to avoid seeing their Severus' expression.

"Hadrian we owe you an apology"

His eyebrows scrunched together and his nose wrinkled in confusion.

"We saw how well you were settling in both with us and assumed that you were alright. Your grades have been impeccable and you haven't had any behavioral issues. We assumed that you were doing well and had a proper way to express yourself but that does not appear to be the case." Marvolo started

"Your...outburst made us realize that we should have talked to you or found you someone you could talk to about how you were feeling"

"I don't need to talk about my feelings" He interjected.

"Are you sure, because you seemed very frustrated and dare I say lost earlier" Marvolo said in a way that was almost..soft?

He wasn't exactly wrong either. He hadn't known how to tell them exactly that he wanted to be alone sometimes but was never granted that wish. That he felt like he had lost whatever sort of identity and sense of self that he had gained over the summer holiday. Now he felt like everyone only saw him as pretending to be someone else. Like he was still the hurt child shoved in the cupboard under the stairs and wearing a brave Gryffindor mask to make other people happy. Like the person he was now was fake even though he was happy now than he had ever been when he had been Harry Potter. Like the clever and cunning Gryffindor with two parents and an awesome group of people that cared for him were nothing more than a figment of his imagination.

He didn't know how to share these thoughts with them, just like how he had had trouble admitting to them that the Dursley's abused him even though he knew what they had been doing was abuse. Even the thought of trying to explain how he was feeling made him feel ridiculous. Plenty of people had brushed aside his thoughts and feelings in the past and eventually he had stopped trying to express them and then, somewhere along the way, he had forgotten how to do so completely. He had plenty of insecurities but nowhere near enough ways to cope with them.

How did he tell them that sometimes, during the late hours of the night or during the quiet moments in the day that he couldn't help but dwell on things. That sometimes he still thought that they were only doing this out of pity, that they would change their minds and get rid of him after all. How did he explain to them that sometimes he was filled with anger and gut-wrenching sadness? How does one explain that sometimes he feels like he has no control over what is going on in his own head? How should he express that he just wanted to be alone when all of his previous attempts hadn't worked and no one listened to his requests.

"What if...what if people continue to not accept that this is who, I want to be" He whispered and turned his head so it was now half-buried in the pillow

"Then that is their problem. In the eyes of the Ministry, you are Hadrian James Peverell Riddle-Snape and in our eyes, you are our son and heir and no one in or outside of this school can change that"

"But you can"

It was barely said above a broken whisper but they still heard him if the way their weight shifted on the bed was anything to go by. One moment Marvolo was there sitting behind him and the next he had rounded the bed and was kneeling in front of Hadrian, kneeling shoulder to shoulder with Severus and blocking his view of the bookshelf he up until this point hadn't looked away from.

"Tell me Hadrien, do I seem like the kind of wizard to go back on his word?" Marvolo asked seriously

He simply shook his head.

"And does Severus seem like the kind of wizard to go back on his word?"

He shook his head again.

"And did we not give you our word that you would be ours, no matter what"

They had. At the adoption ceremony they had made sure that he understood just how permanent it would be. They had stressed that he would be theirs and that they would be his, no matter what. They stressed that while they didn't know him all that well and they may not have seen eye to eye in the past they still wanted to get to know him as the person he was and as the person he could grow to be.

"Then trust us" Marvolo continued "trust that we will never intentionally lead you astray and we will do everything we can to keep you safe. We want what is best for you."

"You, Hadrian Riddle-Snape, are stuck with us, no matter what" Severus spoke up.

Their words were spoken with passion and conviction and they seemed to believe so deeply in the words they were speaking that it was hard not to believe them. It soothed something inside of him to hear those words and he realized that he needed to hear those words even more than he probably ever would have realized. They were rarely ever this, expressive with...anything, that wasn't concern or displeasure or some other negative emotion. They were Slytherin they played their cards close to the chest as all Slytherins did. To see them being so open with him was...comforting.

He nodded to show that he understood as he brought his hand up and used the back of it to wipe at his face again.

"I'm sorry...for yelling and not doing as you asked"

"You have had a very stressful and traumatic morning. It is to be expected that you lash out, would you like to talk about why you lashed out the way you did" Severus asked.

"Yelling is the only thing that ever worked when no one wanted to hear my opinion. With Hermione it was easier to let her have her way or she would never stop lecturing me and Ron is stubborn and has a temper, if he disagrees with something strongly enough it won't take long for it to turn into an argument and some sort of grudge." He turned so that they could actually see his face again.

"I wasn't hungry but you wanted me to eat more and when you said that it wasn't up for discussion I....it made me feel like..." He trailed off, not knowing how to put what he had been feeling into words

"Like we weren't listening to you" Marvolo finished, an understanding glint in his eye.

Hadrian nodded "yeah"

Severus looked pensive as he nodded in understanding.

"This is still very new to all of us, we are still learning how to function as a family unit, how about all three of us agree to try to be more patient and understanding with each other" Severus suggested "If one of us is feeling unheard we will find a way to express that and all three of us will try to be more open about how we are feeling. Sound fair?"

Marvolo nodded and Hadrian did too, amazed that the two of them managed to not only soothe some of his insecurities and put some things into perspective but also maintain calm and understanding and forgiving throughout the whole ordeal.

"Lucius had to go back to work but Narcissa is still here and I believe Draco is back. Would you like to finish breakfast before he commandeers you for the rest of the morning?"

The thought of food still had his stomach rolling and they must have caught on to his hesitation because he could feel the disappointed looks they both gave him .

"Hadrian, you know that you are still underweight and we can not condone you not eating"

"Please don't make me, I swear I’ll eat lunch but please don't make me eat now"

His pleading gaze shifted between the two of them as he sat up slightly, they were blurry around the edges but they were close enough to him that he could barely just make out their hesitant and displeased looks.

"This can not become a habit, do you understand, messing with your meal plan will only be detrimental to your health"

"I understand"

He couldn't believe that this was how things turned out. Couldn't believe that after everything they hadn't even so much as raised their voices at him. They made him feel more secure in his standing with them then he had ever felt before.

"Good well off we go, I believe someone is here to help you fix this" Severus said gently as he reached up and gently tugged at a tuff of Hadrian's hair, a dark look on his features that Hadrian was sure wasn't directed at him.

He wasn't in much of a talking mood and without anything else to talk about Marvolo and Severus opted to give him some time alone and let him sort himself out.

Draco came into the room moments later looking just as concerned as earlier but this time he also looked determined. He held up a vial of familiar shimmery light blue liquid that was the same stuff that he had used the last time he did it. They were silent as Draco picked his glasses up from the floor and put them in his pants pocket before he silently grabbed Hadrian's hand and pulled him off the bed. He was gentle as he gently guided Hadrian to the loo in Severus' quarters and sat him down on the toilet seat and started unraveling the two french braids left in his now shortly cut hair were mostly unraveled and the strands were crudely cut but Draco didn't comment on it as he undid each braid with care before running a comb through the disheveled mess.

Draco aside from a few quiet instructions to tilt his head or to lean his head under the faucet, Draco stayed quiet, working with laser-like focus as he worked on Hadrian's hair. He couldn’t help but think of how Draco was the complete opposite of Aunt Petunia. The one time she had tried to do his hair herself had been traumatizing. It was uneven and patchy and left him nearly bald. She had been rough and pulled his hair more than once and would slap him upside the head whenever he tried to escape her grabbing hands. Draco was much gentler though, more caring. He could feel a tingling sensation slowly spread through his scalp as Draco started to wash the potion out of his hair. When he lifted his head his hair was far longer than it had been when it was cut.

He couldn't help but run a hand through his hair, reassuring himself that he was still Hadrian Riddle-Snape. To reassure himself that no one can take that away from him. He was in his dad's quarters, in the loo with his best friend who would help him no matter what. He had friends who cared about him and supported him and he had two parents and he had godparents and yes there were people he cared about that weren't there for him anymore but that didn't mean that he would be alone.

Lily and James and Sirius were gone but that didn't mean they wouldn't want him to have a family that cared about him. Ron and Hermione couldn't stand him at the moment but that didn't mean that they wouldn't come around eventually and come to understand him. Sooner or later the other students at Hogwarts would stop looking at him like he was an evil traitor and begin to see what he saw in the Slytherin students.

Despite what everyone thought the Slytherins were no different than the students in other houses. They were true to their house traits, ambitious and resourceful and cunning but they were also loyal and just as daring as Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors. Their academic standings were that of what one expected of Ravenclaws. Sure they were not without their faults but they also weren't the evil spawn that everyone seemed to think they were. Hell he himself had felt that way once when he was more impressionable and naive enough to think that something as silly as a school grouping system could define someone as good or evil.

Sirius' words of advice echoed in his ears as if he had just spoken them.

"We've all got both light and darkness inside of us. What matters is the part we choose to act on"

"Stop that, I can't do your hair with your hands in the way" Draco chastened as he swatted at his hands a small, soft grin on his face as he tried to lighten the mood.

Hadrian just snorted as he sat back down on the toilet seat and let Draco fuss more with his hair. His hair ended up in a purposefully messy bun. Draco purposefully left a few strands out and used them to frame his face. Once he was done he turned Hadrian's face this way and that in order to view his face from as many angles as possible in order to make sure that the strands were as even as possible and that the messy bun was centered and not in danger of falling out. Once he was done he gave Hadrian a full-on self-satisfied smirk and pulled out Hadrian's silver glasses and handed them over.

"I am amazing"

Hadrian just snorted and rolled his eyes as he stood up and looked at himself in the mirror. He had to be appreciative of the good job that Draco had done. He didn't even get a chance to thank the blonde before Draco was tugging on his shirtsleeve and dragging him back out to the sitting room. True to Severus' earlier words Lucius was gone but Narcissa was still there holding a conversation with Narcissa on what sounded like something related to the school. Something about the tuition or something.

Severus was nowhere to be seen but he had heard some noises coming from the kitchen.

Both adults in the room looked up when they entered the room and they both nodded their approval when they saw Hadrian's now put-together appearance.

"Since neither of you has classes today you may go find your friends, perhaps use your time to complete some of your schoolwork" Narcissa suggested.

"we planned on doing our classwork this afternoon. We have a study group meeting in the library after lunch"

"Then perhaps you and Hadrian can go back to your dorm, I'm sure you want to settle in sooner rather than later" She directed the last part at her godson with a kind small smile. It was the kind of smile that reminded her of the Mona Lisa smile.

Hadrian and Draco shared a look before turning back to her and nodding their heads simultaneously.

Draco was quick to hug his mother and give her a kiss on the cheek in farewell while Hadrian waved goodbye to Marvolo and called his goodbye to Severus, who still hadn't emerged from the kitchen. He and his new guardians weren't the affectionate types. Sure he hugged Marvolo once or twice but that was never on purpose and he had never dared to show such affections to Severus. None of them were all that interested in showing their physical affections. Marvolo and Severus and Hadrian had only seen them exchange a few quick kisses when he knew that they thought he wasn't looking. He himself had hugged his friends sure and he had kissed Cho Chang once but nothing more than that. Maybe one day, he and his new parental figures could have a relationship like the one Draco and his parents had but for now, he was content with his waved goodbyes and the occasional hair ruffle.

If he was being honest he never quite understood the oldest Weasley children’s constant displays of familial affections. Any time he saw Bill the oldest Weasley would clap him on the shoulder while Charlie opted to ruffle his hair at any opportunity presented to him. Percy was the exception, he was too stiff and controlled for such things but the twins had no such restrictions. They had no problem wrapping Hadrian up in a full-body hug or slinging their arms over his shoulders. The exception to this pattern Ron and Ginny. Ron was never the kind of person to want physical touch outside of sex, something Hadrian wished he didn't know. Ginny was the opposite when it came to Hadrian, she draped herself against him every chance she got and used every excuse she had to touch him in some way.

Things were different with Marvolo's inner circle though. He had heard about the cult that made up the dark lord's inner circle through the twins and it sounded nothing like what it actually was. While yes the Dark Lord's inner circle was made up of his most dangerous followers, it was really made up of the people that the dark lord trusted the most. Fenrir was one of Marvolo's oldest friends, and Marvolo had met Lucius through Lucius' father, another devoted death eater. He had learned to trust the younger Malfoy along with the man's wife and later their son, all three would come to be close friends.

Marvolo himself had recruited Severus when he became the youngest wizard to ever get his potions mastery.

It was two years after Lucius, Narcissa, Bellatrix, Rabastan, and Rodolphus had graduated from Hogwarts that they had become a part of the Dark lord's inner circle. They had been involved with the dark side long before that though and each had come to earn their places in the Dark Lord's innermost trusted circle. They had all held those spots at the Dark Lord's side for years and during all that time they all grew close. Close enough for Rodolphus and Bellatrix to work out the differences they had and come to see each other as best friends. Even though they had an arranged marriage they haven't always gotten along. Rabastan and Rodolphus from what he understood had been distrustful and bitter before they had grown to trust the others and let their more mischievous sides show.

Severus from what Hadrian saw, wasn't as snappish when he was with the inner circle and Narcissa wasn't as apathetic and cold as she was when she was in public. Bellatrix wasn't as crazy and unhinged as she wanted people to believe. Fenrir, while gruff and a bit growly was a decent conversationalist and actually had no desire to turn children into werewolves. Marvolo was nothing like what the light side said he was. He was intimidating and ill-tempered, yes, but he was also considerate and he could be surprisingly patient.

They were all so different than he expected them to be.

Bellatrix loved to hug him and play with his hair, one day she had made him sit in the sitting room and had put a bunch of tiny braids in his hair, much to his chagrin. Narcissa often planted soft kisses on his cheek in greeting or farewell and Rabastan and Rodolphus had no problem following her example. The twin brothers were also extremely fond of random bear hugs whenever they saw him. He hadn't spent enough time with Fenrir to notice any specific habit he had but he was willing to bet that he had one too.

He wondered if one day he would have that close of a relationship with Marvolo and Severus. The kind of relationship where they could hug each other without it being weird or awkward.

He dwelled on these thoughts all the way to their dormitory. It was weird to think of the Slytherin Dorms as _his_ dorm but he found that he didn't really mind all that much. The password to the common room was Aconite and it was going to get changed by the end of the week, unlike the password to the Gryffindor common room which only changed twice a year. The common room was slightly more full than it normally was but he chalked it up to being normal for Saturday mornings since before he had only ever really been in the Slytherin common room in the afternoons. Several of the room's occupants gave him a second look but Draco's cold glare had everyone turning away from them quickly. The only ones unintimidated by the looks were their friends.

Blaise's face was blank but the ticking in his jaw showed just how lived he was. Pansy looked rather displeased as well. Daphne looked at him sadly but she smiled at him and spoke when she got was close enough

"Are you alright"

He pushed away all of the negative and troubling emotions he had been feeling all morning and plastered a smile on his face.

"I will be. I got resorted" He tried extremely hard to ignore the quieting of the whole common room and continued on as if he didn't know that just about everyone was listening in on the conversation. "Looks like you are all officially stuck with me"

They all looked at him in disbelief and no one in the common room even tried to hide the fact that they were listening in as they all turned to stare at him. Resortings were rare and according to the Hogwarts charter only ever really done in extreme cases, like when a student's safety was in danger. Hogwarts: A History mentioned resortings and a few of the extreme cases that caused them but even then, there were only a few handfuls of resortings in Hogwarts history.

"How did the old cogger take it? How did McGonagall react?" Pansy asked in disbelief.

"He tried to deny the request of course but McGonagall practically forced him into it. It didn't help that Lord Malfoy was at the meeting. McGonagall insisted on the resorting. She didn't like it but she seemed to understand that me staying in Gryffindor wouldn't have ended well for anyone." He shrugged as he took a seat at one of the empty couches. Draco sat to his right while the others smooshed onto the couch opposite of him.

Daphne sat directly in front of him with Theo in the middle and Pansy on his left. Blaise opted to stand behind the couch, like the silent and watchful observant voice of reason that he was.

Out of everyone in the group Blaise was the most neutral. He was particularly gifted with gray magic and he never really took sides if it could be avoided. Since he was the most neutral and could see things from both perspectives he often was the voice of reason when the others wanted to do something particularly stupid. He was a formidable opponent in both duels and politics. There was a reason Draco befriended the boy, intellectually they were on the same level, and generally, they just got along well.

"What happened exactly, you weren't exactly coherent this morning- " Theo trailed off uncertainly, unsure if he was allowed to bring it up or not. By now most of the common room had gathered around them to hear what had happened.

"Weasel, Finaggin, and Gorgon attacked me this morning while I was asleep. Cut my hair and roughed me up a bit" Draco snorted which caused Hadrian to give him a half-hearted glare.

"Surely they got expelled, you were a right mess when you came in through the portrait" One of the eighth years asked. A slight boy with sandy blond hair that was just a little shorter than Draco. If Hadrian remembered correctly his name was Jordan Hare, a half-blood dead set on becoming an Auror Commissioner.

Hadrian only knew that because the boy never shut up about it...ever.

"They are suspended for two weeks and have to go through a probation period when they return" It wasn't much but it was enough. Lucius did as much as he could without having the entire school board there to do a proper vote.

One of the upper years snorted with a smirk "It won't take long for at least one of them to get in trouble again. Weasley has a temper, just wait till he finds out he won't be able to play in any of the upcoming quidditch matches"

Snickers broke out across the room.

"Gryffindor is going to lose it when they find out we got Potter" Draco gave his famous Malfoy smirk "Just wait till they find out he's playing against them in Quidditch. We'll win the Quidditch Cup this year for sure"

"Oh I'll be playing against them will I?" Hadrian responded with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course you will," Draco said with an air of superiority. A look that told him that Draco knew him all too well.

He had been dying for the quidditch season to start up but he didn't think he would actually be playing now that he was in a new house that already had a team. But no one was objecting to what Draco had said. Many of the others actually looked rather excited at the idea of having one of Gryffindor's key players.

"Alright make sure everyone knows that we have a new starting seeker, everything will be discussed at our quidditch practice this afternoon" Draco directed at Gregory and Vincent. They were the Slytherin teams starting beaters. Draco was the Captain of the Slytherin team and Blaise was the Co-Captain. It was easy to see why in their performance. Blaise was more of a silent observer but in a game, he was a ruthless and determined Chaser. He and Draco might not interact much on the pitch but they were close friends to the point where it was like they could read each other without the slightest hiccup. It always helped when they had to change tactics mid-game or make last-minute adjustments to the lineup.

But Hadrian saw a problem with it all

"You're the team's starting seeker...you can't quit the team" He murmured quietly as the room started to disperse, seemingly content with the information they had been fed, only their closest friends remained seated to listen in on the conversation.

"I can just as easily become a starting chaser. Urquhart is only a fourth year and this is only her first year playing. She has no real experience and has no business playing as a starter. The only reason she is is that we didn't have many tryouts this year and she was the least terrible" Draco sneered for real this time as he talked about Amari Urquhart.

She was a fourth-year with little experience and an ego far larger than someone her standing should have. Hadrian knew from all the time he spent with the Slytherins that not many liked her. She was standoffish and assumed herself to be better than everyone when in reality, her grades were less than stellar and her attitude was even worse. She complained about just about anything and everything and she got on just about everyone's nerves. The only people she didn't annoy were the people smart enough to ignore her and those like Blaise and Daphne, people who had an almost endless amount of patience and the ability to filter through the bullshit in people's words.

"As long as it's not an issue" He snorted as he rolled his eyes.

It was a Saturday and for some reason, there wasn't any quidditch practice today that Hadrian was sure Draco had something to do with so they had little to do until lunchtime. They decided to gather their school stuff and head to the library to do it. They were more than happy to stop by Professor Snape's office first and request slips to take books out from the restricted section.

He quirked an eyebrow at them all at their various requests but wrote out the slips they needed before sending them back on their way.

Madam Pince gave them all evil looks the moment they stepped into the library that only intensified when they handed her their slips but she went to get them the books they required nonetheless.

Draco wanted Moste Potente Potions while Hadrian wanted Secrets of the Darkest Art and the Book of Spells specifically while Pansy wanted a book on mind magic and Goyle wanted some history books since History of Magic as a class would teach them nothing.

They picked out a table while Daphne, Theo, Crabb, and Blaise wandered around the library looking for books that might help them to complete some of their homework assignments or to simply further their intellects in preparation for the new world that had yet to be formed. Mrs. Pince found her way to their table before the others did and she gave them each a hard look as she placed the books in front of each of them.

"You best not get into any trouble with these" Was her only warning before she was leaving again, probably to reshelve books or find someone disobeying library rules.

Pansy ended up with a book titled Concepts of the Mind. The moment she opened the cover she seemed to be consumed with the book. Almost like it had put her in a trance, completely commandeering her mind. They decided to let her be. Goyle ended up with a book titled Death of History and Hadrian couldn't help but think of how mediocre the current curriculum was and that he might just have to borrow that book, he would have to ask Goyle what he thought of it when he was done.

Soon enough Blaise, Theo, Crabb, and Daphne came back. They all had their arms laden with books aside from Daphne. Theo was carrying her’s for her.

He saw an array of book titles from Ruination with money, Advancements in magic, Creature Advancements, Potions and Curses of The Past, The First Wizarding War, The Book of Trick spells, The History of Hogwarts: A Different Perspective, Magical Creatures and Beasts, and even a couple of other books. They were all about different things that would make good substitutes for what they couldn't get from their own home libraries at the moment.

He had read just about all the books that would catch him up in his studies so he no longer had much of a reason to call for Rimly to bring him books anymore. Now if he wanted any books, particularly any books that were known to be written by those with darker fascinations, he would have to write to Marvolo about and see if the man would send to him via owl.

Books about Dark magic were generally banned at Hogwarts in order to maintain the 'safety of the students'. Just about everyone knew that books with Darker natures were removed from the libraries because Dumbledore only wanted to promote books written by light magic users and books with a bias towards light and grey magic. It was unlikely that Marvolo and Severus would approve of him having such books on school grounds and they all knew that Dumbledore had intercepted Hadrian's mail in the past and was more likely to do so now that he had little to no control over his 'Golden boy' but Hadrian needed to catch up to his peers. Besides, there were plenty of ways to sneak things into Hogwarts without Dumbledore ever even knowing about it.

He couldn't ask Severus to get the books for him though because if Dumbledore found out a teacher allowed a student to have access to any unapproved material then he could lose his job. It didn't help that it was Hadrian that would get the books and Dumbledore would see it as Severus not only trying to inform Hadrian on things Dumbledore didn't want him to ever know, but also as Severus trying to turn him into a dark wizard.

Dumbledore had lost enough trust in Severus as it was. There was no need to make Severus seem any more untrustworthy.

Dumbledore still hated that Severus wouldn't give custody of Hadrian back to Dumbledore or send him back to the Dursleys. Dumbledore also no longer had access to any of Hadrian's vaults, and could no longer be the proxy to several Wizengamot seats that Hadrian had and this was also because Severus and Marvolo refused to give him the right. Dumbledore now had to work even harder to get certain laws and regulations passed and this stressed him out even more. Lately, Dumbledore hadn’t been able to pass any new laws or regulations because he was outvoted. There weren’t enough wizards that agreed with Dumbledore to win outweigh the sway that Hadrian now had over the Wizengamot.

Hadrian found it all amusing under the annoyance he felt.

They already had their DADA essay, the potions homework, the charms homework, and even the herbology homework that was due Monday and Tuesday respectively but he dragged his feet when it came to doing his History of Magic homework since it was all pointless questions about the goblin wars that he had been able to answer back in his second year since this was all Binns ever talked about. He couldn't wait till Dumbledore was removed as headmaster. Then they could finally get rid of the bloody awful ghost. Now that he had a new house his class schedule changed slightly but the others reassured him that all of his assignments were the same as the ones he had been given, the due dates were just a little different.

  
Monday  
Defense Against the Dark Arts  
Potions  
Herbology

Tuesday  
Defense Against The Dark Arts  
Potions  
Charms

Wednesday  
Charms  
History of Magic  
Arithmancy

Thursday

History of Magic  
Arithmancy  
Transfigurations

Friday  
Transfigurations  
Herbology

By the time lunch had rolled around he managed to get his homework done for all the classes he had up until Thursday. and even got a rather extreme head start on his Transfigurations essay that was also due Thursday. Draco, Daphne, and Blaise seemed just as happy with the amount of homework he had gotten done which was about the same amount of his own work completed. Theo had gotten even more done than they had. Pansy had finished the first four chapters of her book and seemed rather satisfied with having completed the homework she had gotten done but overall it wasn't very much. She would have to truly buckle down after lunch, dinner, and maybe even the next day to put herself ahead again.

Vincent struggled while writing his DADA essay so he hadn't gotten nearly enough work done in his opinion but he vowed to make up for it after lunch. Overall he had gotten just as much work done as Pansy. The only one who hadn't gotten much work done was Goyle, who had spent most of his time daydreaming while trying to do his Herbology homework.

They left the library as quietly as they could but Ms.Pince still shushed them harshly on their way out.

Since it was a weekend and lunch had only just started they managed to get away with sneaking off to the kitchens and getting sandwiches from the house-elves and sneaking off to the courtyard for lunch. there were very few people there. Just three Ravenclaws who were too busy studying to notice the former Harry Potter hanging out with a bunch of Slytherins. They ate lunch quickly and then split apart from there. Pansy, Goyle, Vincent still had work to do and Theo had offered to go with them and help.

That left Daphne, Draco, Blaise, and Hadrian himself to themselves until they all ended up meeting again for Quidditch practice.

They wound up in the Slytherin Common Room since it was really the only safe place for them to all hang out without the rest of the school finding out that Hadrian Snape was now in Slytherin.

While he wasn't necessarily shunned and taunted as he had been in his second year and again in fourth year, he wasn't exactly ignored either. Rumors were constantly flying around about him turning dark during the summer. The most popular rumor was about how Snape had been forced to adopt him so that Dumbledore could keep an eye on him after the disaster that happened during the summer before fifth year and Hadrian turned dark because Snape was teaching him how to be a death eater. Other rumors included Hadrian being corrupted by the Slytherins, Hadrian being turning dark because the death of his godfather was too much for him to handle, and another was about him having always been a dark wizard and was just waiting for the right time to show his true colors.

There were a couple more vicious and wild rumors along with a few, softer and more believable rumors but even those seemed silly to those who knew what truly happened.

In the end, he didn't care about what the rest of the school said. No one dared approach him with questions or try asking if any of the rumors were true and he was happy to let them all mindlessly believe what they wanted of him. The students of Hogwarts had treated him like a social pariah in second year because he could speak to snakes. They had treated him even worse during his fourth year when they labeled him as an attention whore.

The Gryffindors, Ron especially, hated him because they thought he was lying about putting his name in the goblet and simply seeking attention. Ravenclaw hated him because they thought he cheated and overall wasn't smart enough or resourceful enough to figure out how to get in. Most of them were jealous that they hadn't been able to do it themselves and in true Ravenclaw, fashion took to tearing him down in order to try and show that they were the superior intellect.

Hufflepuff hated him because they thought that he wasn't only trying to show up Cedric but believed that he had cheated and lied in order to do it. The house that treasured Honesty, and loyalty took the most offense to his name being drawn from the goblet.

The only house that didn't retaliate against him in fourth year was Slytherin.

They're behavior towards him hadn't changed all that much. Some of them had sided with the other houses and proudly wore the Potter Stinks badges and participated in mocking him at any chance they got but the other half of Slytherin had been surprisingly neutral. They didn't side with him or against him. They simply watched him and the other houses and the tasks with analytical gazes as they tried to determine for themselves if Harry had been worth believing.

The treatment he had received that year had been hard on him and in the end, he found that he could only really call Neville, Luna, Fred, George, and Draco his friends. They never ignored him or pranked him or did any of the stuff that everyone else seemed so intent on doing in order to get under his skin. He found that he and Cedric probably would have been good friends. They had been competing against each other, yes, but it had been a friendly competition...far friendlier then the 'playful competitions' Ron had always tried to pull him into.

They could put off everyone finding out about his resorting until Monday at least. He knew that Neville wouldn't say anything and Thomas, Seamus, and Ron weren't around to say anything. The rest of Gryffindor would find out eventually since Ron was sure to owl Hermione with the news and Ginny was bound to find out if she didn't already know. She probably knew since her mom had been in the school and was bound to talk to at least one of her children about Ron's 'outrageous' punishment but she would hopefully be too distracted with Gryffindor's quidditch line up.

A lot of the plays relied on Hadrian this year even though as a seeker he was supposed to be somewhat separated from all the action. Now that they didn't have him as a seeker anymore they would have to change things up. Especially because now they would have to figure out who would substitute for who. Gryffindor had a rather small team this year, mostly because a lot of the try-outs had been put on academic probation.

Daphne, claiming she wanted to read one of the books she had gotten from the library, suggested that Draco and Blaise help Hadrian unpack his truck. Both boys were more than happy to do so since Draco wanted to use the opportunity as an excuse to look through Hadrian's clothes and then figure out what he could buy and slip into the raven-haired teen’s wardrobe. Draco used any excuse he had to try and 'improve' Hadrian's wardrobe, even now that he dressed like a proper heir. Draco was a diva about his clothes.

Blaise didn't help so much as he observed the two of them work from where he laid in his own bed and traded snide jokes with Draco.

Throughout the whole process Draco happily changed each of the Gryffindor badges on his school robes and changed the ties too. He took great joy in laying out each piece of clothing on Hadrian's new bed and changing each article of clothing into colors that were 'most befitting for an heir of such a noble cause'

Hadrian ignored Draco's dramatic in favor of laying himself across his bed and letting himself be surrounded by the warmth and comfort that the room brought him. He had been in the Slytherin Common room but had never been in the dorms specifically. It was almost exactly like the Gryffindor dorms but less crowded. As opposed to being roomed with Ron, Seamus, Dean, Neville. Four other boys, he was roomed with just Draco and Blaise.

"The quiet is nice"

Draco just smirked at him "I bet Gryffindor is rather crowded...and loud"

"If they are anything like they are in the great hall then this must be quiet a change"

"You have no idea" His nose wrinkled in distaste "Ron snores louder than a train car and Seamus never falls asleep before two in the morning"

Nightmares weren't the only reason he often had so much trouble sleeping. It was no secret that Gryffindor was loud. McGonagall had never said she expected them in bed by a certain time so usually, students didn't leave the common room before 12am. The noise and having so many other people awake never did him much good. He was a light sleeper and add his nightmares into the mix and he was lucky to get a couple of hours of sleep before Ron would wake him up and complain about Hermione throwing a fit in the common room because 'Harry' wasn't awake yet.

"You'd be lucky to get even 4 hours of sleep there. Not many students leave the common room before twelve if they can help it and if you have rambunctious roommates than your lucky if you get to bed by three"

They both gave him displeased looks.

"Gryffindors baffle me. How they have so much energy when they don't properly care for themselves is beyond me" Blaise had seen what most Gryffindors ate at breakfast, if they even woke up on time for breakfast.

Hadrian shrugged and didn't bother defending their choices because Blaise had a point. He never did understand how his housemates had been able to eat sugary donuts and muffins full of chocolate and peanut butter and pancakes with chocolate chips and cinnamon rolls with frosting, such heavy food couldn’t be good so early in the morning. They all tended to lean towards the more sugary and sweetly fattening foods as opposed to the perfectly good, healthier, and more responsible choices on the table.

He had tried once, back in his first year, to enjoy the sugary foods that he never would have been allowed to have back at the Dursleys. He hadn't eaten much, just a cinnamon roll and a chocolate chip pancake at Hermione and Ron's insistence but it had been enough to make his stomach roll after only eating a few bits from each food. He had to stop in one of the loos on his way to class and allow his stomach to dispel the too rich food from his system.

Since then he stuck to eggs and toast and sausage and porridge. Occasionally he would have a plain breakfast muffin or something else but he was always careful to avoid the less than healthy breakfast foods.

They talked and talked until two o'clock rolled around. Then Draco became adamant about him going with them to Quidditch practice, forced him into his now green and silver quidditch uniform, and had him grab his broom from his trunk. He had to double up with a long-sleeved shirt and an undershirt because it was rather nippy out.

They both got ready as he did and both knew better than to turn around and check to see if he was actually changing and when they were done changing he was too. Even though he thought that this wasn't the best idea but he could see the excitement that was making Draco practically glow and the intrigued look that Blaise was shooting between the two of them.

Daphne was waiting for them in the common room, a book in her lap and talking to a girl that looked much like Daphne did. The only major difference between the two girls was the fact that Daphne had platinum blonde hair while the girl next to her had dark, sandy brown hair. This had to be Daphne's little sister Astoria, there was no one that could look so much like Daphne and not be related to her.

When they noticed the three boys approaching she smirked and took a piece of parchment from her book that she must have been using as a bookmark. Draco matched her smirk and Hadrian was reminded why people joked within the walls of the common room about the two of them being siblings. Daphne was a female, slightly nicer version of Draco. They called her the Slytherin Ice Queen mostly for the fact that she was smart, sly, and beautiful. Anyone outside of Slytherin would have thought that she and Draco were dating but once they stopped playing the parts they showed to everyone else in the school aside from their fellow Slytherins, it was easy to see they are more like siblings.

"Astoria, Daphne" Draco greeted while looking over the parchment before handing it off to Blaise.

"Draco, hope you don't mind but Astoria and I were hoping to watch the team practice"

"Of course, we were just heading out to the pitch"

The walk to the pitch was pleasant. He spent most of the trek walking with Astoria slightly behind Daphne Blaise and Draco. Astoria was a curious child and overall a social butterfly. She had a list of good-natured questions to ask him. They weren't the standard questions about being the boy who lived either. She asked about things he liked, his favorite spells and classes, and his favorite holiday and sweets. She asked about if he had ever been to muggle London and then asked a doze and one question about what the muggle world was like. She didn't ask about the dark lord or about his fourth year or about the night his parents died or even about Sirius' death.

He liked her already even though he hadn't known her long.

She wasn't like everyone else. She knew where the boundary lines were and never pushed them by asking the insensitive questions that everyone else couldn't stop asking. She reminded him of a younger version of Luna and outright told her so and offered to introduce the two of them after explaining that he thought that they would get along exponentially well. Astoria loved creatures and he made sure to tell her about all the creatures Luna always talked about and he found amusement in her awe and excitement that she had at the very idea of learning more about creatures from another person as opposed to from textbooks. She took care of magical creatures and admitted that she didn't like it much because Hagrid still brought in illegal creatures and his teaching methods were less than safe, how the man ended up teaching care or magical creatures again after what happened in their third year but Hadrian wasn’t taking the class so he wasn’t overly bothered by it.

Hadrian agreed with her about Hagrid's teaching methods though.

The pitch was much quieter than it would have been if it was a Gryffindor practice and Hadrian was surprised that he didn't mind it much. He sort of liked the quieter edge that Slytherin had over Gryffindor. If this was a Gryffindor practice everyone would be shouting over each other and they would inevitably start practice late because no one would listen to him until he started shouting, which was something he didn't necessarily like to do.

Astoria and Daphne left to sit on the stands with Pansy and Theo while he, Draco, and Blaise went to join the rest of the team.

Draco was quick to take charge, his face becoming more serious as he slipped into the Ice Prince persona he played so well.

"Alright everyone listen up" He started "We have a new seeker and a new line up"

That sent a ripple of mumbles through the group since most of them hadn't been in the common room this morning and hadn't been expecting Draco's announcement, even though Draco had told Gregory and Vincent to inform everyone of the coming changes.

"Because of our lack of subs this year Blaise and Myself, along with professor Snape came up with a new line up that will better play to our strength. Alexander is our keeper for games against Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. Aaron, you will sub for those games if needed and play in the Ravenclaw game with Alexander as the sub. Hadrian will be our keeper in Gryffindor and Ravenclaw games and I will sub. The reverse is true for the games against Hufflepuff. Any Questions so far"

When no one said anything he continued. "Our Chasers for the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor games are Blaise, Vasily and Myself and Amari will sub. In Hufflepuff games, Amari will play in my stead and I will play seeker those games."

"That's ridiculous Draco, the old line up was perfectly fine, why are you catering to Potter like a common Gryffindork?" Amari Urquhart sneered in Hadrian's direction, obviously blaming him for losing her starting position.

She was a girl with black hair, blue eyes, and a smathering of freckles on her face. She had an upturned nose and she scowled more often than not. From what he had heard from Pansy and Daphne, she had an attitude that often left something to be desired. She came from a pureblood family that had views that aligned more with the false campaign people thought the Dark Lord stood for. She was a blood supremacist and used the term 'mudblood' very liberally when she was out of earshot of the Professors, head boys and girls, and prefects. She was not a favorite among the Slytherin but they tolerated her as best as they could.

"The old line up was mediocre at best" Draco snorted." You aren't skilled enough nor have you been playing long enough to outmatch Gryffindor's beaters or Ravenclaws keeper"

Draco's tone was cold and his sneer was just as perfect as always as he stared Urquhart down while Blaise pulled out the parchment slip they had gotten from Daphne and passed it around to everyone. The old line up, from what Draco had told him, truly would have been pathetic if they had played. It left them without any substitutes for the chasers of the seeker, if someone got hurt or benched then they would have been down a player and that rarely ever went well during Quidditch games.

"Professor Snape already signed off on the changes. If you don't like it you can either get better or go to him" Blaise said easily.

Amari huffed and glared at them but didn't protest any further so Draco and Blaise continued.

"As I'm sure you've heard Hadrian was resorted into Slytherin this morning. He is our new seeker. Hadrian, this is Vasily Exyll, Starting Chaser, and Amari Urquhart, sub chaser"

Vasily nodded curtly at him and Amari glared even harder at being introduced as a sub but didn't open her mouth to protest. He made a mental note to avoid the fourth year. Vasily was nice enough, she was a seventh year from a neutral family and she never treated Hadrian cruelly so he would probably get along with her well enough but he knew from what he'd seen of Amari that she was a cynical girl. She was prideful and egotistical. She acted the way Draco pretended to be back in first year. The only difference was that she wasn't pretending, the way Draco had been.

"Alexander Hewett, our starting keeper" Blaise pointed out a boy.

If he was remembering correctly from his lessons, Alexander Hewett was a seventh year from a pureblood family. They weren't as well known or as rich as some of the other older, pureblood families but they were well respected. They would be at the Yule Ball that the Malfoy's threw every year and Draco and Hadrian were expected to interact with him at least once. He was a lot like Neville but without the nervousness. He liked to study and he was always willing to help out any younger student that could use a hand, from what Hadrian had observed of the older boy.

"And last but not least, Aiden and Aaron Morelli." Blaise finished

Aiden and Aaron Morelli were in their sixth and fifth year respectively but they looked so much alike that they could have passed for twins. They both had black hair that was slightly curly and brown eyes. They were purebloods but other than that Hadrian didn't know much about them other than the fact that everyone thought that Aaron was going to be a dark wizard. Rumor had it that Aaron had a thing for dark magic and had been caught more than once casting dark spells in empty classrooms. Hadrian didn't really care either way. They were both neutral in their stance in the war just like the rest of their family so they didn't unnerve him like they did most people.

"Alright Let's go"

\------------------------------------

It turns out that Slytherin's quidditch team had the most practices and their longest practice was on Saturdays. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw practiced four times a week but Gryffindor only practiced three times a week during study hall. Oliver, when he had been Captain, had the team practicing early in the mornings before breakfast, every day during study hall, and on the weekends. When Oliver graduated back when Hadrian was in fourth year Angelina had severely cut back the number of practices they had. They didn't have any quidditch games that year because of the Triwizard Tournament but she hadn't wanted them to become lazy either. Somehow they had gone from daily practices several times a day to only three practices a week. Hadrian had never questioned why because he hadn't even wanted to be captain of the team but everyone else said he should be.

He never knew why she had decreased practices so much but when he had tried to get them up to at least four practices everyone had complained and debated with him until he had given up on the matter and let them be.

Practice was hard. Draco put them through their paces and made them run drills countless times but Hadrian could see that they were a great team because of the fact. How they hadn't been beating Gryffindor Hadrian would never know. They were all skilled and now Hadrian could see why he made the line up the way he did. Alexander wouldn't hold up against Gryffindor because they liked to crowd the goal but Aaron could handle the pressure of it with almost no issue.

Ravenclaws weren't as rough as Gryffindor and relied on speed so Aiden, who was much leaner and a much faster flyer than Gregory, paired well with Vincent. Vasily worked well with Draco and Blaise, their teamwork was probably even better than the Hufflepuff teams. She worked well with both Blaise and Draco and with Blaise and Amari on the pitch. Her communication skills were strong and it made up for Amari's less than stellar playing.

Amari played like she was playing against every person on the pitch. She didn't pass when she needed to and her passes were less than accurate. When Amari subbed in for Vasily it was like she didn't even see Draco. At times she even went out of her way to not have to give him the quaffle. She had skill sure, but not enough to justify her attitude. She would have to work hard to prove that she belonged on the team.

The practice that Sunday was much the same and Hadrian found he enjoyed the intensity.

That Monday was a completely different matter entirely.

He had always been an early riser thanks to Aunt Petunia so he was unsurprised when he cast a Tempus charm once he put on his glasses and found that he woke up at seven in the morning. The drapes were closed around Blaises bed but Dracos were half-open. Judging by the quiet both of them were still asleep so he was as quiet as he could possibly be as he gathered up the things he would need to get ready and slunk off to the bathroom to shower and dress.

By the time he was done his hair was done and he was dressed in his new green and silver uniform. The top half of his hair was pulled into a messy bun while the back was free. His tie was slightly looser than he normally wore it but he was too nervous to have it any tighter, lest he accidentally strangles himself.

Blaise and Draco had woken up while he was gone, both looked blurry eyes and he found a sleepy Draco to be a rather amusing sight that for some reason, made his chest feel warm and tingly in the best way possible. He shoved the feeling aside as he sat at the edge of his bed and pulled on his shoes. Blaise was ready not long after he himself had finished up but Draco took a little longer because he did not function well when he was half asleep. He felt his hair ungelled for once but overall, he looked good. His ungelled hair reminded Hadrian of his third year and he wished that the blonde would leave his hair like that more often.

Pansy, Daphne, Astoria, and Theo were already awake by the time the three boys made it to the common room but aside from the small group, the only other students present were two third-year boys and three second-year girls. All five were far more awake than anyone had any right to be at seven-ten in the morning but he didn't dwell on it as he sat next to Pansy on one of the couches and allowed them to pull him into a pleasant conversation.

Everyone was in the common room by seven-thirty and they all left for the great hall. It was pleasant to be surrounded by so many other students but for it to also be so quiet. There was the hushed murmur of conversations but no one was being unnecessarily loud.

The staff table was full when they got there at seven forty but there were very few students in attendance so early in the day. There were about ten or so Ravenclaw students with their noses buried in books while they ate and four or five Hufflepuff students who were talking quietly among themselves. Slytherin was the only house that seemed to really have set rules and at least a semblance of a healthy routine and Hadrian enjoyed it.

Slowly as time passed the great hall started to fill with students and the noise level steadily grew. Hadrian found himself pulled into several different conversations not just by his friends, but also with his new housemates. As time went on though people started to notice his presents at the Slytherin table and weren't afraid to point it out but he ignored it in favor of talking potions with Draco.

He drank his nutrient potion like he was supposed to and even managed to eat a bowl of porridge and a slice of toast, much to Draco's pleasure. They ate and laughed and he truly started to believe that while the school year hadn't started off on the best note, that he might actually have a normal year for once.

Of course, the peace of the morning didn't last long.

Draco noticed before he did and nudged their knees together under the table in order to turn his attention to one Hermione Granger and one Ginny Weasley as they stormed over to the Slytherin table, gazes focused solely on him. He let his face go blank as he met their gazes head-on.

They stopped till they were standing opposite him, making Blaise and the table the only barriers between him and the two unhappy females.

The great hall was uncomfortable silent and tension thrummed through the air like electricity after a lightning strike but Hadrian didn't dare make the first move. He had done nothing wrong and he was no longer allowing himself to be pushed under the thumbs of people who didn't give a single damn about him. He wouldn't allow for them to manipulate him, not anymore. They stayed there, locked in a three-way staring contest until finally, Ginny broke the silence.

"Well. Don't you have something to say for yourself? You got Ron suspended"

"Ronald got himself suspended for being a prat. That's not my problem"

"Is this a game to you Harry? How can you be okay with getting your best friend suspended"

"I'm okay with it cause my supposed 'best friend' as you claim him to be, attacked me while I was asleep" He replied coldly and didn't so much as flinch when whispers broke out across the hall.

"It was just a silly prank" Ginny cried out in outrage.

"Hurting someone isn't a prank, it’s bullying" He shot back.

"So he took a prank a little too far, that doesn't mean he deserved to be suspended, that goes on his permanent record. What if you had gotten him expelled"

He had rarely seen Hermione this angry with him but he knew she wouldn't pull her wand on him or do anything that would get her into trouble when there was a whole hall of people watching them. Even so he felt Draco shift next to him, slipping his wand out of his arm holster and grip it tightly in case he had to suddenly protect Hadrian. Why he felt the need to be so protective Hadrian didn't know but he wasn't going to say that the fact made him feel a little more relaxed about the whole situation.

"He deserved the punishment he got and I'm not sorry he got in trouble for it"

"Then why are you sitting here with a bunch of evil snakes" Ginny glared at how close together Hadrian and Draco were sitting.

"Gryffindor is no longer my house. My father requested I be resorted since I no longer considered myself safe"

"Oh please you're being dramatic, you can't be serious Harry. They're a bunch of death eaters in training, there is no way you can feel safer with them than you do with us" Hermione protested as she sent a look of disgust up and down the table.

Her looks were met with glares and unimpressed looks from everyone at the table.

"For the last time my name is Hadrian and I am completely serious. Slytherin is where I feel safest." He spat with conviction as he tried to jam the truth into their thick skulls "You no longer have the right to call me your friend after everything you and Ron have done. Convincing me to go on some crazy hunt in first year, nearly getting me killed in second year-"

He looked at Ginny, everyone knew by now that Ginny had been the heir of Slytherin. That she was the one to open the chamber of secrets and Hadrian had nearly gotten killed in second year trying to save her. Before either Ginny or Hermione could interrupt he continued.

"Shunning me in fourth year for something I didn't do, and let's not forget all the jealous fits from Ron and your snide remark about being smarter than me. Remind me Hermione, who is currently at the top of our class"

He glared coldly at the both of them while the Slytherins snickered and smirked at seeing both Gryffindor girls get told off so spectacularly, even while the rest of the hall whispered furiously. Everyone knew about first and second year but they didn't know that he had been shunned not only by them but by the people who claimed to be his best friends. From the hushed whispers from the Ravenclaws, particularly the sixth year students, he could tell that they were more bothered by him being the top of their class than they were about everything else he had said. The Hufflepuff's sounded like they were mixed between wanting to agree with him and wanting to just stay out of it and go back to their breakfasts. Gryffindor was a mix of shame, disgust, and agreement.

The Gryffindors knew first hand just how badly they had treated him in the past and some could see why he agreed to being resorted and ashamed of the fact that they hadn't been good or even decent housemates while others couldn't seem to see past the petty Slytherin/Gryffindor rivalry. Slytherins were evil and it didn't matter how badly he was treated, he was a traitor.

"You no longer have any say in my life"

He stood then and as if it were rehearsed, the rest of his house grabbed their bags and stood as well and followed him out of the Quiet hall. They all walked silently until they reached the grand staircase where several of the lower years and even a few students of the seventh year students congratulated him on how well he handled his old housemates before they broke off into groups to go about their own school day. Most of his year stayed with him and as a group, they walked to class.

The classroom was empty and there was nothing out of the ordinary that could give away what the lesson of the day was. As time went on and the start of class grew nearer, small groups of three or four Gryffindors would come into the room and find somewhere to sit. Most of them glared at him while others avoided looking him in the eye. No one sat in the seat to his left either, the closest seat to him.

It felt like rejection and it stung a little bit to know that his old housemates wouldn't even look him in the eye. Sure his wording this morning had been harsh but they deserved to hear what he said and this new him wasn't going to dance around other people's feelings when no one had ever danced around his. They had treated him poorly and he was no longer afraid to point it out.

Neville, one of the last to enter the classroom, gave Hadrian a tentative smile, and sat in the desk next to him. Now that the twins had graduated Neville was his only ally in Gryffindor it seemed.

Hermione was notably absent from class but Hadrian didn't get the chance to question it because Professor Snape was entering the room.

He wore his usual black robes and a scowl on his face as he strode to the front of the room and glared at everyone, more particularly at the empty seat beside Neville.

"Mr. Longbottom...do you by any chance...know the whereabouts of Ms.Granger" He used the same slow draw he had always used in class and Hadrian could see Neville swallow nervously as he scrambled for a suitable answer.

"She was called to Professor McGonagall's office after breakfast, sir" He answered nervously.

Professor Snape simply hummed before he charmed the chalk from to chalkboard to start writing for him as he moved behind his desk.

"Bring your assignments from last class to my desk. You have forty minutes to read chapter three from your textbooks and answer the questions on the board."

His sudden silence was enough to prompt everyone into doing as they were told. The room was mostly silent aside from the occasional rebuke from Professor Snape about someone not paying attention or attempting to use their wand in class when they were simply supposed to be reading. Of course the quiet only lasted up until Hermione burst into the room as loudly as possible, looking frazzled as she juggled her textbooks and her overly full backpack. Professor Snape glared at her till she took the open seat next to Neville.

"Sorry professor I-"

"No one wishes to hear your excuses Ms. Granger and read chapter three from your textbook."

She didn't dare open her mouth to speak or even glare at him. Instead, she took out her textbook and glared at the paper.

The lesson was on a creature known as an Inferius, disgusting, deformed creatures that were created using one spell that fell under one of the darkest branches of dark magic. They were like zombies in a way but they also weren't. Zombies didn't think or feel pain but in a way, they were still alive, no one controlled them besides themselves. Inferi were mindless dead bodies that did the bidding of the person that created them. They were nothing more than mindless puppets.

Inferi were dangerous, they were strong, surprisingly fast and weren't stopped easily. There was really only one thing that could stop them. Because they were dark creatures that were _already dead_ the only thing that was really effective in stopping them was light and heat. Specifically, a fire summoning spell called Procella ignifera which was Latin for firestorm. According to the textbook, the charm created a large, controllable ring of fire that was water-resistant. The textbook also talked briefly about the dangers of hordes of Inferi, while a simple Incendio might work on a single Infurius if cast multiple times, it wasn't powerful enough to hold off several Inferi.

The textbook also warned against the use of the Fiendfyre curse. The curse produced enchanted flames that were unbelievably large in size and gave off an intense heat that was capable of destroying nearly anything in its path. The curse was known for taking the form of gigantic fiery beasts such as serpents, chimeras, dragons, and birds of prey that became sentient and sought out living targets. The spell was known for its volatile nature as the sentient beast sought to burn everything it could.

The textbook heavily advised against using such a curse against anything, much less an Inferius.

Overall the first half of the class was pleasant, Professor Snape spent the hour grading their assignments and when the last twenty minutes of the class arrived he stood and moved to stand in front of them to both ask and answer any questions they might have had.

Patiently Professor Snape answered each question asked and ignored the quiet scoff Hermione gave every once in a while when someone asked a question she deemed idiotic. Her behavior only grew worse when Professor Snape started asking questions of his own and passing her up for answers. With every question asked her hand shot into the air and her fingers wiggled as if she couldn't control them. Any time someone else was called on she would huff in displeasure and mumble faintly under her breath.

"Who can tell me what spell to use against a group of inferi"

Hermione's hand went up again and she grew more and more impatient as she waited to be called on. Only to huff when Professor Snape called on Neville, who hadn't been raising his hand.

"Mr. Longbottom...what incantation do you use against a group of inferi"

"uh...Procella ignifera, Sir" he spoke nervously but relaxed when Professor Snape didn't immediately insult him.

Before Professor Snape could even confirm that Neville had given the right answer or not, Hermione interjected, misplace smugness written all over her face.

"You're wrong. The proper spell to use against a group of Inferi is Fiendfyre. It's more powerful and is less likely to accidentally harm your allies"

"Not only are you wrong Ms. Granger but you will wait till you are called on to speak in my class."

"But Professor-" Her voice was high and shrill in a way that reminded him of his aunt.

She sounded the way Petunia did when she found out Hadrian had burned the food or messed up one of his chores and was getting ready to hit him with her frying pan. She had done that several times over the years but she hadn't done it once since his Hogwarts letter came, too worried that they were being watched and would get into trouble if someone saw him with the huge bruise her frying pan always left on the side of his head.

"Five points from Gryffindor" Professor Snape's scowl deepened "One more outburst Ms. Granger and you will be serving a detention"

Hermione scowled at being cut off but didn't dare to verbally disagree. No one else dared to protest the loss of points either. On one hand, Gryffindor had a hate-hate relationship with Professor Snape and would usually protest the loss in points but Granger had been acting like a right bint lately and maybe the loss in points would make her realize that she wasn't above everyone else simply because she thought she had the superior intellect.

"Mr. Malfoy, please tell Ms. Granger, why the Fiendfyre curse is an incorrect answer"

"The Fiendfyre curse creates a large beast that becomes sentient. Over ninety percent of the casters can't control it and the beast then tries to burn anything in sight, including the caster. Only extremely powerful, trained wizards have had successfully cast the spell"

"Five points each Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Longbottom, for answering correctly"

A murmur swept through the room before it cut off just as quickly.

"I expect an intelligent two-foot essay on the creation of an inferius, as well as if it is ethical to create one. You're dismissed."

Many of the Gryffindors Hermione included fled the classroom as quickly as they possibly could without looking like they were running for their lives while the Slytherins, Hadrian included, were more dignified as they gathered their belongings and set out of the room in order to leisurely make their way to their next class which was potions. Horace Slughorn was an old Professor. He had black hair that was turning gray and a receding hairline. He took over as the potions professor when Professor Snape moved to the Defense against the dark arts teacher since Dumbledore hadn't been able to find anyone to fill the position aside from Severus.

He was a jovial man who liked to fawn over Hadrian despite the obvious discomfort that Hadrian showed towards the man.

Slughorn loved Hadrian because of his ability to brew. His potions were near perfect or absolutely perfect every time in Slughorn's eyes despite the fact that Draco often produced better potions than Hadrian did.

Potions was one of the classes that Draco had better marks in than Hadrian and that was because of Draco's talent. The blonde had a strong sense of direction when it came to tweaking the potions recipe in order to get a better result in his potion.

Hadrian had just gotten lucky after finding a rather interesting used book after his got destroyed.

They had been put into partners and they had been told to brew a dreamless sleep potion and of course Hadrian partnered with Draco, much to his old housemates' displeasure. Of course, Ron thought it would be acceptable to throw something into their cauldron causing the potion to not only melt through the cauldron but clump up and destroy his potions textbook. The potion had caused the pages of his book to stick together and the cover to deteriorate. Slughorn had frowned at Ron's behavior but didn't do anything more than tell Hadrian where he could find a spare book to use until he got a new one or even keep it if he wished.

The book belonged to someone who called themselves the half-blood prince and their book was full of handwritten notes. It was full of the smallest changes that made the biggest improvements to his brews. Draco was the only one who knew about the book and he thought it was brilliant. They had spent hours pouring over the pages and adding the notes from Hadrian's book into Draco's for them to use in class. They hadn't tried the spell written in one of the margins of the book, there was no description of it nor was it mentioned in any of the books they looked at in the library. They decided not to test it until they were off school grounds, it would be easy to borrow some wands to practice dueling when they left for the holidays.

He knew what Hermione would say if she knew about the book. She would tell him how unethical it was and how horrid and dishonest he should feel about using the book instead of turning it in and Ron would insist that the book was evil and would have brought him nothing but trouble.

Draco knew just how powerful the book could be and how helpful it could be as long as they used it responsibly.

They didn't dare bring the book up or show it to anyone else. If it was dangerous then they didn't want anyone else to get hurt or in trouble and if it was just a way to garner knowledge then it would give them an edge in their quest to be the best.

Today they had to brew a drought of living death and he couldn't help but wish that Professor Snape still taught potions. Slughorn was not a bad man, not in any sense of the word but he did let a lot of things slide that should never happen when brewing potions, especially highly reactive. More than one student had gotten burned or passed out after inhaling too many fumes during potions. Such things had rarely ever happened when Snape taught, maybe only two or three times but with Slughorn, it happened two or three times every other week.

Seamus, being generally unlucky when it came to potions, was one of the many students to suffer from such incidences.

Draco and Hadrian brewed their potions at the same table and it was by sheer luck that the third person to get stuck at their station was Hermione, who had beaten Pansy in gathering her potions ingredients and had willfully stared them down as if she was daring them to protest her making that spot her work station for the class. Neither of them paid her any mind and for some reason that seemed to only make her more annoyed as they worked. She seemed to hit a wall though as they worked to cut Sopophorous bean. The bean jumped across the table, and others had the same issue.

They were small with tough skin that made it incredibly hard to cut. Of course thanks to their notes they knew to crush the bean and add the juice from it that way. Hermione only noticed when they moved on to the next step and her nostrils flared in irritation. She hated the very idea that they were beating her and actually watching them succeed was far worse than the idea of it.

"How did you do that" She demanded they tell her

Draco snorted and continued to work on his potion while Hadrian raised a single eyebrow at Hermione and met her stare head-on. The steam and fumes from brewing made her hair frizzy but Hadrian couldn't help but think that the frizziness of her hair was somehow related to how angry and displeased she was.

He shrugged at her "crush it, don't cut it"

She scowled as she looked at her directions again before turning to him again

"No, it specifically says to cut"

He simply shrugged his shoulders. If she didn't want to believe him after asking for his help then that was not his problem to deal with. He continued to brew and as the end of the class grew nearer he grinned at Draco as he called Professor Slughorn over to add the final ingredient to his potion and grade it.

Hermione scowled while she watched and Draco watched with a critical eye as he continued to work on his potion. He didn't mind coming in second place if it meant that Hadrian got to succeed but he refused to be beaten by anyone else. From what he gathered Blaise, Daphne, and Granger were the only ones anywhere close to finished with their potions and he refused to let them surpass him.

Hadrian brewed a perfect potion according to Slughorn and Draco couldn't help but feel pride swell through him when he was the grin that Hadrian sported as he accepted the prize for completing his potion. Felix Felicis, otherwise known as liquid luck, was the prize. What Hadrian would do with the small dose of the potion he didn't know but he figured that it would come in handy at some point in life.

He cleaned up his station once Slughorn dismissed him and gave him the homework assignment due the next class and he happily waited for Draco in the hallway. This had become another part of their routine. Whoever got dismissed first would wait for the other in the hallway and then they would drop their stuff off in their dorm room and go to lunch together. They had taken to eating lunch in Severus' quarters. The great hall was nice. He could stare up at the stars the enchanted ceiling created all night long if someone let him and breakfast was good if not a little chaotic but lunch was different. People had always loved to gossip but now that he hung out with the Slytherin in was worse.

He was never interested in listening to gossip, even less so when it was gossip about him. People liked to stare and it made him more uncomfortable than he already was when it came to people giving him attention. It wasn't hard to sneak away when he had Draco were always the first to leave potions class but it was harder to avoid getting out of going to lunch when he had been in Gryffindor but now that he was in Slytherin and no longer had Ron and Hermione clinging to him every chance they had it was easier.

Now that he was a Slytherin and expected to hang out with his housemates he could easily go to the dungeons and not have to deal with the attention. It would be much worse today since Hermione and Ginny's little show at breakfast.

Not even a full fifteen minutes after Hadrian had started waiting, Draco was sauntering out of the potions classroom with a smirk on his face. It was obvious that he was pleased with himself as he joined Hadrian. He had nearly been finished with his potion when Hadrian had finished his own so he didn't have the slightest clue what took Draco so long.

He raised an eyebrow in question. They had gotten good at this, speaking without actually speaking

"You know I couldn't leave without taunting Granger a bit"

Hadrian rolled his eyes as they started walking through the dungeons towards the common room "What did you do"

"Nothing really, It's not my fault. She insisted that she would finish before me...I may or may not have stalled the tiniest bit in finishing."

"That's cruel Draco" He glared at his friend although it didn't contain as much heat as it would have if he was actually upset.

"She deserved it. She was being insufferable"

Hadrian simply rolled his eyes and they continued their conversation. They talked about what they looked forward to the most as the holidays grew nearer. Hadrian waited because it would be the first year he would be going home for the holidays. It would be the first time he would even have a home to go to.

He didn't really count going home with the Weasleys during his fifth year. He didn't have much choice in that and the only good thing about it had been spending time with Sirius and Remus. They had been there for him when he struggled with his nightmares about Cedric and of Arthur dying because no one had been able to get to him in time. It had been the best memory he had of the holidays. The rest had been nice but that didn't mean that there hadn't been anything missing. Even his first year had a sour note to it when he thought about how his first Christmas had been in school, with his best friend that hadn't truly been his friend.

Now he had two fathers, godparents, and several eccentric family members along with a certain blonde that made him far happier than he would admit to anyone.

"I still don't know what I'm going to get my parents" He grumbled in displeasure.

He had been trying to find something to give Severus and Marvolo since the middle of October. It had helped him keep his mind off of his parent's death but as November came and passed he grew more and more anxious about finding the perfect gift for his new guardians. He had entertained several ideas but discarded them all because they were either silly or not suitable in his mind.

"I thought you already owl ordered their gifts"

He had owl ordered gifts that he thought would be perfect. Rare potions ingredients for Severus and a tumbler set and a set of cufflinks that came in silver, black, grey, and gold and charmed to never get lost. He had thought that they would be perfect but now, a week later, he was second-guessing his choice.

"I did but I don't think they'll like it. It's our first holiday together and I want to make sure that I get them something they'll like"

"They'll like whatever you get them, Hadrian, it is your first holiday together. The three of you just need time to get to know each other. They will be happy with whatever you get them"

"But I want them to know that I put a lot of thought into what I get them"

"Then you can write them a heartfelt note to go with it and stop stressing yourself out beyond belief" Draco teased.

"You're a prat" Hadrian rolled his eyes as they stopped

"You love me anyway"

Hadrian didn't respond as they entered the common room. There were few others present in the common room, just a couple of other students who were trying to waste time before heading to lunch. They deposited their bags on their beds before they fled the room and started their trip to Severus' quarters. The Slytherin head of house's quarters was further in the dungeons than the Slytherin Common room was.

Few people knew where Professor Snape's quarters were and even fewer people knew how to get there without getting lost within the dungeons.

They didn't bother knocking. They knew the password that changed just as frequently as the password to the common room and they both had a room for when they stayed there. The headmaster hated the fact but there was nothing he could do to change the situation since Hadrian was legally his charge and Severus was also Draco's godfather and acting proxy on Narcissa and Lucius' behalf.

It was approved by the board when Dumbledore had pushed the matter so there was nothing the man could do. If he brought it to their attention again then it would just make him look bad, especially since he had very publicly and privately vouched for Severus, and for him to protest whether or not Draco and Hadrian were safe to spend a night or two with him would look suspicious, like Dumbledore didn't trust the faculty he himself picked and pushed to be hired by the board.

It's how they ended up with the agreement that Hadrian got to stay with Severus two nights every week and the same extended to Draco. The only reason he didn't stay with Severus more often was because he had no reason to avoid his housemates or hide from anyone.

The living room was neat and as orderly as always and from what they could hear Severus was in his office as he normally was, eating whatever light lunch Tripley forced him to eat. He had a bad habit of working through lunch that Marvolo did not appreciate. In turn, he assigned Tripley to Severus with the order to take care of him while he was away at Hogwarts. That order extended to Hadrian when they found that he was horrible when it came to eating at proper times. Not wanting their progress to be ruined Marvolo had Tripley watch Hadrian's meal intake to make sure that he was sticking to his diet.

Severus often rolled his eyes at his husband's act while Hadrian had been internally ecstatic to know that Marvolo cared enough to do such a thing...even if he didn't necessarily appreciate having a baby sitter.

Food was waiting for them in the kitchenette and they happily dug into their food as they brainstormed for their potions assignment. They had to write an essay about how they would use a draught of living death, who they would use it on, and why. What it was supposed to teach them, neither of them knew. it seemed like pointless busywork like Slughorn couldn't think up anything that would actually teach them something new.

He sincerely wished that Severus still taught potions. They would be under a lot more pressure, sure, but at least then the grades they got were well deserved and they actually learned something from each and every assignment given to them.

He preferred Severus sneers and constant scowls more than Slughorn's laid back demeanor.

"Anymore luck finding out who the half-blood prince is?" Draco murmured

Hadrian shook his head, a frown pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"Nothing, and I'm pretty sure Madam Pince is getting suspicious. She's asked more than once about the number of potions books I've borrowed."

"What did she say"

"That it was odd since I had never checked out so many books on potions before. She thinks I'm up to something"

Draco rolled his eyes at that "Over half the school thinks you're up to something. what she thinks doesn't matter, not when she is one of the noisiest adults in the whole school"

He wasn't wrong but that didn't make him any less worried about the fact. Madam Pince wasn't beyond banning someone from the library if she thought that they were up to something no good. It didn't help that he never had any answers for her insistent questions so the most convenient thing to do at the time had been to lie. She thought that Professor Snape was letting him do an extensive research project to help his grade. If she asked Severus herself then not only would she know that he had lied but Severus would want to know why he had lied and what he was trying to cover up with said lie.

Draco wasn't necessarily wrong though either. Everyone had noticed his new friendship with the Slytherins and several had accused him of being up to something or another but Madam Pince was a female version of Severus, only she was more cynical. She was suspicious of everyone when it came to her books. He just didn't want Severus to know about the book and the possible dangers that might lay within them.

"So...when do you wanna test that thing we talked about" Draco's voice was much quieter now. The last thing they needed was Severus overhearing them and questioning them or finding out about what they were trying to hide.

"We can go to the room of Requirement...or we can wait till we're off of school grounds. We don't know what could happen and it won't do any good to risk someone else's safety"

Draco nodded his head in understanding. They didn't know what the spell could do or what they could be conjuring. It was best not to cast such a hex inside the school until they knew what they would be dealing with. Just because the spell was handwritten in a school textbook didn't mean it was school appropriate.

"We'll wait till the holidays then"

"Wait till the holidays for what?" They both jumped, startled by Severus' sudden arrival.

"Bloody hell" Hadrian mumbled. Severus only chuckled as he continued to look at them, expecting an answer "We were going to ask if Rodolphus and Rabastan could take us to Diagon at some point during the holiday"

"Last minute holiday shopping?"

"No, we got all of this done already" Draco fibbed. It wasn't a complete lie. They had most of their shopping done. Hadrian just needed to stop panicking about what he got and Draco had all of his gifts picked out and ordered. Nursery, one of the Malfoy house-elves, had been picking up his orders and stashing them in his room so that he could wrap them when he went home for the holidays.

"Then why...would you be going to Diagon. You know it's not the...safest...of times for the two of you to be out and about without a proper reason" Severus seemed to be searching for the right words.

"I wanted to go see the twins and maybe stop by the Magical Menagerie"

It actually wasn't a lie. It was just the continuation of a conversation that he and Draco had been having just a couple nights ago. Draco had never been one for pets but he liked to go to the Menagerie and look at all the different pets they kept. He also liked the idea of getting something from the joke shop to use on Ron. He wanted revenge on the prat for what he had done to _his Hadrian_. He knew that the Weasley twins would know all sorts of things about Ronald that he would be able to use against him. He was sure that they would help him since they cared for Hadrian and were unlikely to take Ron's side when they found out what exactly Ron had done.

"Did you need something for Hedwig?"

"No, I was looking into getting a pet."

"Don't you have Hedwig"

"She's amazing but she's not really a pet, she's a messenger owl. I care for her of course but I would like a companion, like a cat...or a snake. I always thought it would be brilliant to have a pet that could understand me and I them."

Severus nodded his head for Hadrian to continue as he made his way to the counter and started rifling through the cabinets.

"In the Hogwarts charter they never specified that an owl counted as a pet, they just said that I could bring one for postal purposes."

"You'll have to ask your father of course and Draco, you'll have to ask your mother and father. You'll also have to ask Rodolphus and Rabastan. They are still wanted criminals so it might not be the best idea for them to take you"

"We could always ask Mother," Draco suggested as he popped a veggie stick into his mouth.

It was a good suggestion. While Rodolphus and Rabastan were more laid back and would be perfectly willing to go with them there was still the fact that they were escaped convicts and it was dangerous for them to go about in public. It would be downright irresponsible for them to take the boys to one of the most popular shopping spots in wizarding Britain just so Hadrian could visit the Weasley twins and perhaps look for a pet snake.

Severus was done making his tea by the time Hadrian and Draco finished their lunch and he was quick to usher them off. The hour they had for lunch always passed by rather quickly and they had to be getting to study hall before they ended up late. Madam Pince was not above telling the head of houses when their students were late to study hall, even if they were only late by a few minutes.

They stopped by the common room and grabbed their bags from their dorm, along with a few more things. Draco grabbed their books and Hadrian grabbed the extra parchment, quills, ink, and other items they might need. This had also become a part of their routine, even when they hadn't been in the same house. Since he had access to the Slytherin common room long before he had become a part of the house it had been a nice opportunity for him and Draco to catch up since their schedules prevented them from getting to spend all that much time together during the day.

They would go meet up after potions and go to Severus' quarters for lunch, and then they would head to study hall together. They sat with each other every other day since Ron and Hermione would insist that he needed to spend more time with them because they were oh so concerned for him. It was easier to just sit with them every other day rather than listening to them harp at him during diner, classes, and at night in the common room. At least if he sat with them every other day they only gripped at him during the hour and fifteen minutes. They still complained about the days he sat with Draco but he refused to stop just because they didn't like it.

Now that he was in Slytherin they couldn't say anything about him sitting with one of his housemates and he was absolutely giddy about the fact.

Now the process was just a thousand times easier.

The study hall was a long room, much like the great hall, it wasn't far from the library but it was closer to the middle courtyard. It was just as quiet as the library and Madam Pince made sure to enforce the same rules for the library in the study hall because students were constantly going between both rooms, for materials. The time spent in study hall was one of the best times to complete his school work.

Ron spent most of the time in study hall sleeping, his snores were not helpful when it came to focusing. Hermione spent more time lecturing him when he lost focus, correcting him, and berating him for his grades than doing her own school work.

He found that the times he spent crammed between Draco and Theo at the table was the time that he was the most productive. Draco would sit to his right, just a tad closer than necessary, and would be scratching away at his parchment. He always worked on his essays first and would move on to answering questions later. Theo would often spend his time rereading his texts and improving the notes he took in class.

Study hall was usually pretty full by the time he and Draco got there. Many students didn't need the full lunch hour to eat and often went to their next class a bit early. The sixth-year Ravenclaws that had study hall this period were always early and Hufflepuffs were a bit of a mix with students that were both early and on time, bordering on late. The Slytherins were always punctual. They always arrived just shy of five minutes early and rarely ever arrived late, especially without an excuse. The Gryffindors were either on time because they put off going to the hall for as long as they possibly could or they stalled for so long that they ended up being late.

The hour and fifteen minutes they were incredibly productive for him. As always Theo sat quietly with his nose buried in his book as he perfected his class notes and Draco sat just close enough for their elbows to bump each other and their knees to brush. Blaise sat across from them and correcting Pansy's Potions essay while she did the same with his. Daphne pointedly ignoring the bickering going on between Vincent and Gregory as they argued over one of the quidditch plays they wanted to use while they did their potions assignment and DADA essays respectively.

Most of the time the Gryffindors were being shushed by Madam Pince While only quiet murmuring could be heard from the Hufflepuffs. Ignoring the not so quiet gossip about him was actually a lot easier than he expected it to be. It helped that Pansy and Draco's combined glares were more than enough to shut up whoever dared gossip about Hadrian while being close enough for them to hear.

By the end of the hall he had just about all of his assignments done to an acceptable standard. Slughorn would accept whatever he handed in and consider it to be the work of a genius, even if it wasn't written in complete sentences and looked like it was written by a student still in primary school. Despite this, he wrote out his homework as if it would be graded by Professor Snape since giving anything less than his best efforts would be a waste of time. By the time Madam Pince dismissed them he was finished with his work and had packed up his belongings and had been leaning against Draco's side for about twenty minutes while the blonde finished up his own DADA homework.

Hermione didn't dare approach them while everyone gathered their belongings to leave but she didn't leave until after they had and followed them even though she had chames with the Ravenclaws and was likely to be late. She followed them a little over halfway to class before Draco stopped, turned on his heel, and sneered at her.

"Quit following us Granger, it's pathetic."

She didn't bother responding. Instead, she sniffed at Draco with a look of distaste before she turned around and walked away. Pansy rolled her eyes and grumbled unhappily the rest of the way to Herbology about the pathetic and unbecoming behavior Hermione had been displaying the whole day.

Herbology was more than enough to lighten all of their moods. They were working with Venomous Tentacula over the last couple of weeks and today Professor Sprout was actually having them handle it in groups of three. The class overall could have gone better but not in the way of anyone getting hurt. A surprising amount of the students got grabbed by the venomous plant but only two students got stunned by the plant’s bite but no one was seriously hurt. Draco himself even got his legs so caught up in the vines and Hadrian and Blaise had to use the severing charm to free him while he cursed up a storm and a half.

Professor Sprout had just chuckled as she gathered up the severed bits of the plant to harvest the salvageable leaves to give to Professor Snape so that he could use them later. Despite Professor Slughorn being the Potions Professor, Snape was still the one to brew the potions for the school's hospital wing and secretly for Dumbledore and Tom. Of course, Marvolo always gave Severus a list of potions and information to mislead Dumbledore while Albus always requested potions that the man had no business having in his possession. Severus always reported back to Marvolo of course and they used the information to the dark side's advantage.

By the end of class Draco had a decent-sized band of red around his ankle that stretched up along his lower leg up until just below his knee from the plant's vines. He wasn't hurt but his skin was irritated and the red marks were more than likely to turn into bruises from the tight grip the plant had on his leg. He was fine though outside of some mumbled curses and the general displeasure that came from having his pale skin so marked up.

As soon as class ended Professor Sprout sent him off the infirmary and sent Hadrian off with him to make sure he made it there. There weren't any bite marks or scratches but she wanted someone with him just in case.

He turned out to be fine once Madam Pomfrey gave him a small container of bruise balm to use for the next couple of days for his legs. The others caught up with them in the common room and they decided to spend the afternoon by the lake. With no homework to complete for Herbology, they had no school work to occupy their afternoon so Blaise, Draco, Hadrian, Daphne, and Pansy went to the lake. It was chilly out but luckily for them, it wasn't snowing or even too cold for a walk. Theo, Gregory, and Vincent decided to stick around the common room to wait for Professor Snape.

Professor Snape was very invested in his students and as such he spent an hour in the common room in order to offer help on any subject to anyone who might need it.

Severus Snape might not be a nice man or even a very approachable man but it could never be said that he didn't care about his Slytherins.

Sadly Monday was only the beginning of a very frustrating few weeks

It was getting colder and colder as Christmas drew nearer and classes were chaotic as professors tried to cram as much of the curriculum in as they could as well as control their classes as students grew more and more anxious for the holidays. He was overloaded with schoolwork on top of Quidditch practices. By the end of the second week in December he was ready to rip his hair out. As rumors spread more and more of the student body decided that they didn't like his new personality or his friendship with his housemates. Now that he was in Slytherin it was like he had never been a Gryffindor. Once again he was written off as a dark wizard.

The only ones who stuck by him were Luna, a few of the most neutral Gryffindors such as Neville, Parvati Patil, Dean Thomas, and a small handful of Hufflepuffs that had never had an issue with the Slytherins. Rumors ran rampant in the corridors about what truly happened in his fourth year and how he had deserved all the detentions he had with Umbridge for being such an evil snake. It was even worse than it had been because now Ron was back from his suspension and he held no forgiveness for the person he claimed was his best friend.

He and his friends made sure to give the Slytherins hell simply for being in Slytherin. They gave Hadrian an even harder time as well.

The number of jinx and hexes shot his way in between classes and even in classes increased solely because of Ron and his cronies. Of course, there was only so much the teachers could do, if they were even willing to intervene in the first place. The only ones who didn't tolerate any foolishness in their classrooms were Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, Madam Pince, and Madam Pomfrey, who had to deal with the students of the hexes and Jinx. Despite the fact that Ron and his friends had two weeks of homework to make up, along with the work that was being added on every day during classes they seemed to always be lurking around, waiting for Hadrian and his friends so that they could mess with them.

At first it started out rather mild with name-calling and sabotaging his assignments but then spreading rumors about him was added into the mix and then it was jinxes and hexes anytime they were close enough. The cake topper was when they tried to corner him and Draco in the corridors. They tried to catch them alone and of course, today was the one time they did. They had come very close to beating them in a duel. Of course four against two was less than a fair fight but thanks to the dueling lessons from Rodolphus and Rabastan along with the fact that neither Seamus nor Thomas were very good with offensive spells it was easy to leave Ron and a Gryffindor Hadrian had never met stunned in the corridor.

Seamus and Thomas were smart enough to not continue the duel when they had even numbers and were obviously outmatched when it came to skill. Hadrian and Draco had gathered their wits and went to the hospital wing. Draco was cradling his left arm close to his abdomen and Hadrian had been hit with an unpleasant vomiting curse much like the slug curse Ron had tried to use in their second year but without the slugs. It was less than pleasant and as soon as they were out of sight Draco had taken a spare quill from his bag and transformed it into a bucket for Hadrian to yak into every couple of feet until they finally made it the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey was less than pleased to see them and even less pleased to see that Draco had seriously hurt his wrist.

One well-timed flipendo towards the end of their duel had knocked Draco back hard and he had landed on his wrist. He had gotten right back up and retaliated but now that the adrenaline of the duel had dissipated he was obviously in pain. Between the constant throwing up, the broken wrist, and the multiple Red burn like welts that littered their skin, Madam Pomfrey insisted on telling their head of house and filing a complaint with the school board since this was not the first incident of students getting sent to her after a run-in with Ron. She grumbled about all the trouble Ron and his friends had caused when they had only been back for four days and were supposedly on probation.

She left to summon their head of house and Professor Snape came in not long after looking absolutely furious. He took one look at the both of them and instantly looked ready to behead someone on their behalf. Of course, he borrowed empty vials from Madam Pomfrey and extracted their memories to use later. He assured them that the matter would be taken up with the board straight away

Hadrian had a bedpan in his lap and his right eye was swollen shut. According to the diagnostic charm, Madam Pomfrey had performed they knew that there were several other small stinging cuts under his robes. The same stinging hex had been used on Draco but instead of stinging cuts, Draco was more unlucky because instead of swollen bruises he was left with thin and reddened welts. One of them started at the base on the right side of his neck and crawled up till it covered the whole of his cheek. It looked like someone had taken a whip to his pale face. She took great care in wrapping and splinting his wrist so that the bones would heal correctly. She was less than happy to see all the welts that littered Draco's skin.

They would both be in the infirmary until after dinner at least. She had to keep Draco in order to keep track of how his wrist was healing and Hadrian had to stay because he couldn't stop throwing up. Even when there was nothing left in his stomach to be dispelled. In short, they were pretty miserable by the end of the night and had no appetite or will to do much. It was still early in the morning but Madam Pomfrey saw fit to excuse them from the rest of their classes for the day.

The Headmaster came sweeping in not much later with Professor McGonagall hurrying after him looking like she had been fretting for the last several minutes.

"Would either of you boys like to tell me what transpired yesterday"

"Ronald Weasley and his blasted group of friends cornered us in the corridor on our way to arithmancy" Draco snapped unhappily as he swallowed down the pain potion Madam Pomfrey handed to him.

"Mind your tone please Mr.Malfoy," Dumbledore said glumly "I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding"

"This looks like more than just a misunderstanding Albus" Lucius Malfoy followed by Lady Longbottom and Lord Quinn, members of the school board who looked less than happy to have been called to the school again.

A week before the holiday break was supposed to start. Lucius looked less than pleased when he caught sight of Draco, still bare-chested as Madam Pomfrey poked at a nasty looking welt on his shoulder that happened to cross with a second welt. It broke skin but didn't look deep, just painful.

"Lucius, Augusta, Morena" Albus gave them grim smiles "I was not expecting you to be present"

"Madam Pomfrey fire called me. Albus that boy is getting out of hand" Augusta Longbottom looked much like Neville but with much softer features. Her stern look reminded him of Professor McGonagall's whenever she was chastising him. "Madam Pomfrey fire called me just yesterday with news of Neville getting burned after that rotten Weasley boy threw something into his potions cauldron."

"Lady Longbottom fire called me. I felt it necessary to provide a neutral point of view" Lady Quinn didn't seem very neutral as she spoke, looking at the headmaster with an unhappy face.

"This matter is a simple misunderstanding I'm sure, Mr.Snape and Mr. Malfoy were just about to tell us what happened"

"For the record...I took the liberty of taking copies of their memories. I know for a fact that Lord Peverell and Lady Malfoy will wish to take this matter to the Board Of Governors personally" Severus spoke up as he held up the two vials he had used to hold and preserve their memories.

"I will take those" Lady Quinn stepped forward and Severus handed them over willingly.

"Boys, if you will tell us what happened" Professor McGonagall looked them both over, less than pleased to see the state they were in.

He went to speak, only to hunch over and start dry heaving into the bedpan Madam Pomfrey had traded his bucket out for. Since he was unable to, Draco started to speak. His voice was much more even now that the pain potion he had taken was fully taking effect.

"We were walking to class and they started following us until Ronald Weasley attempted to get us to stop. He started taunting us but when we didn't acknowledge them he pulled his wand and shot a spell that nearly took my head off" He scowled

"And what happened after that"

"He trained his wands on us so we pulled our wands as well. His friends were there as well. One of them threw another spell at us when we tried to leave again and we responded. We left Ronald and someone else stunned in the corridor and we came to the hospital wing. They're still there I reckon if the other two didn't grab 'em"

"Is what Mr. Malfoy said the truth Mr.Snape?" Lady Longbottom asked

He didn't trust himself to speak since every time he attempted to do so he ended up gagging or dry heaving so he nodded his head tiredly

"Why Is Mr. Snape currently tied to that bedpan Madam Pomfrey?"

"He got hit by a rather nasty vomiting curse, poor dear will be dry heaving for the better part of the afternoon by the looks of it"

"We will be discussing Mr.Weasley's behavior at the next board meeting at the end of this month. Mr. Weasley's family will receive a formal inquiry within the next few days. Until then it is my suggestion that as per Mr.Weasley's probation he be escorted to classes by a Professor, a head boy, or girl. The opportunity for something like this should never have been presented" Lucius glared at Albus when he went to protest.

"I'm afraid that this is a matter that the school board would be more equipped to deal with" Dumbledore recovered quickly. It would look best if he didn't argue with the head of the board when two of its respected members were present.

He would need their favor when it came to the meeting at the end of the month.

"Someone will be by to drop off your assignments before dinner. I must return to my class now" Severus gave them both an expectant look.

"Thank you Professor"

He nodded at them before he turned to Lucius and the two Ladies and bowed respectively Professor McGonagall bowed as well. The three board members returned the gesture and were quick to excuse themselves once the two professors left. Lucius had to get back to the ministry and so did Lady Quinn. Lady Longbottom was quick to follow after them. Albus of course tried to talk to them both, suggesting that things weren't as severe as they thought.

Madam Pomfrey was having none of it though and was quick to shoo the headmaster out of the infirmary.

They ended up in the hospital wing until well after dinner. Their friends visited sometime after lunch and brought their second-period materials with them but Madam Pomfrey didn't let them stay long. Dinner appeared on the nightstands next to their beds but neither of them was particularly hungry. Pain-relieving potions tended to make Draco nauseous for a while and he nearly threw up when he tried to eat more. He managed to eat about half of his plate but that was less than pleasing to Madam Pomfrey. She was even less pleased to see that Hadrian had only managed to eat maybe a quarter of his food before the vomiting curse kicked in again and made him throw it right back up.

She ended up keeping them overnight once again when she found that neither of them could keep their food down.

They spent the night in the infirmary, talking about what they hoped would come of the upcoming holiday. Hadrian hoped to be able to visit Grimmauld place at some point over the holiday. He wanted to see the shape that the order left the place in and he wanted to see what all Kreacher had managed to save. He knew that Sirius had demanded the house-elf to save anything that was of value to the Black family. Molly hadn't cared about the Black family heirlooms and trinkets. She only saw old things that were possibly cursed or could possibly be 'contaminated' with dark magic. Sirius had Kreacher save everything and store it in the basement, the one place Molly refused to let anyone enter. She insisted that Bill, as a curse breaker, should be the one to go through the basement since he was trained to deal with whatever could possibly be down there.

Now that Sirius was gone Kreacher was technically his house-elf and everything in Grimmauld place was his. He wanted to go through everything and figure out what to do with the items as well as have a chance to see the place and maybe he could finally settle his guilt over what happened in the DoM. He didn't dare entertain the idea of selling the property but he also didn't know how he would feel about being there when Sirius and Remus wouldn't be.

They were allowed to leave the infirmary Tuesday morning, once Madam Pomfrey was certain that they could keep their breakfast down and wouldn't have any trouble with their injuries during the day she sent them off with strict instructions to come back if they needed to.

Draco's wrist was still wrapped up tight so Hadrian insisted on carrying their bags as they made their way to Professor McGonagall's class. They got several weird looks on their way to class but between the two of them, they managed to glare everyone off. Draco even sneered at a few people with more disgust in his features than usual.No one said anything so much as they stared at them. Draco's wrapped wrist was easily visible as was the welt on his neck and face. It had healed up nicely thanks to Madam Pomfrey but there was only so much she was willing to do with magic. Sometimes letting a wound to heal on its own was better than just using magic.

Now it was just a pink mark, less irritated and swollen than it had been the night before but it still stood out against Draco's pale skin.

DADA with Gryffindor was unbearable Ron thought it was funny to throw wadded up papers with stupid notes at them. Professor Snape gave him a week of detention of course but that didn't seem to deter Ron from his poor behavior. Rumors were already spreading around the school about how unhappy the school board was about the incident along with how Dumbledore was handling Ronald Weasley. There were rumors about just about everything in the school but the most popular topic was Hadrian, Draco, the Slytherins. There were several other rumors about the Gryffindors and Weasleys and Dumbledore but none of the Gryffindors seemed interested in any of that. They just wanted to tease and taunt the Slytherins about the duel and to make sure they were aware of all the rumors being spread about them.

Pansy got annoyed with the behavior but managed to keep her temper up until half an hour into second period. Pansy is a very strong and independent person, who cares more about her wit and ability than she cares about vanity. She also happened to be a very protective person, something that Hadrian didn't know. She doted on Hadrian and Draco. She asked them if they needed anything whenever she thought they needed help and she even made Blaise and Theo carry their bags since Draco had welts on his shoulder and Hadrian had nicks all along his neck and chest. They insisted that they were fine and could carry their own bags but the glare she gave them was slightly frightening so they let her have her way.

They managed to get through the two classes they had that day Since it was a Tuesday the Slytherins on the quidditch team had a practice that afternoon during fourth block in place of study hall. Daphne insisted that they should only supervise practice, that they were too banged up to be playing quidditch but with Draco as Captain and Hadrian as their new seeker they both needed to attend as many practices as possible.

He was still trying to get used to playing with a new team and Draco still needed to practice as a starting chaser. He needed to get used to being a part of the more intricate plays that they would need during games. Practice went rather well all things considered. They only had two arguments with Urquhart about the lineup, no one got hurt, and to top it all off the subs turned out to provide a great change of pace. They were skilled and quick, he would even go so far as to say that they were better than the subs he had begrudgingly picked for the Gryffindor team.

Fourth period found them in charms class with Hufflepuff. The class went better than the other classes they had that morning. A few whispered about them when they thought that Draco or Hadrian weren't paying attention but they would stop the moment Draco would turn to them in the middle of the lesson and sneer at them when Flitwick wasn't looking. Hadrian pretended not to notice when Blaise's hand disappeared under the table, he also pretended to not notice when a Slytherin boy squealed rather loudly when his the books on the table started floating and batting him repeatedly. Flitwick didn't find the prank to be funny in the slightest but no one got in trouble because he didn't know who cast the spell.

Dinner was as calm as it could possibly be, which wasn't saying very much. It was only the twenty-second but the train from Hogwarts to London was due to leave tomorrow at eleven. Since they lost a day, Hadrian and Draco took the time they had after dinner to pack what they wanted from their trunks to bring home with them for the holiday. He was filled with both excitement and dread at the idea of going home for the holidays. The last time he had left school grounds for a holiday had been last year. The memories of that holiday were tainted with nightmares, stress, and general bad feelings. The only high point of the holiday had been being able to spend time with Sirius.

Now he would be spending it with family. People who were related to him by blood cared for him and took care of him. They wanted him around for the holidays. Severus and Marvolo had both made it very clear that he would not be spending another holiday at Hogwarts.

Draco and Hadrian were the only ones in their dorm room at the moment. Blaise was somewhere in the castle with the girls enjoying the time they had before they had to go back to the common room for curfew. If he remembered correctly, Theo was somewhere in the common room with the Morelli twins. Theo often tutored other Slytherins, he had a high ranking in their class and he was sort of like a walking textbook when it came to their school work. Theo was a very patient person so he often was the go-to person to go to for homework help when other students didn't want to bother Professor Snape.

Their dorm was quiet aside from the sounds of them going through their wardrobes and filling their trunks.

"Honestly Hadrian you'll be fine but if you keep stressing yourself out you'll wind up putting yourself into a fit" Draco Chastated as he packed some of his clothes into his truck.

"It's not my fault" He shoved some of his school belongings roughly into his trunk so that he could continue to study during the holiday. "I've never really had a proper Christmas...at least, not one I remember"

He was only a few weeks away from being five months old on his first Christmas. That wasn't nearly old enough to remember and he didn't count his fifth year or the holidays after his first year. Of course, the Dursley's didn't care enough for him to ever want to give him a proper Christmas so really, this might as well be his first Christmas.

Draco sighed as he closed up his trunk. He spent less time fretting over menial things than Hadrian had so he finished first. He started pulling things from the messily packed trunk and started to properly fold things and pile them next to him. Once he had all the clothes folded and piled next to him he started to arrange them on one side of the trunk before taking all of his school supplies and properly organizing that as well. Once that was done he took a seat next to Hadrian on the raven-haired teen's bed.

"I know this will be new for you but I promise if there was something that I didn't think you could handle I would have told you."

"There are still things I don't know about a traditional yule though. And how am I supposed to act at this ball? I've never been to a proper party outside of the yule ball and that was a disaster. This could turn out to be one giant disaster"

"If someone asks you to dance then I'll be sure to run interference and you won't have to do much outside of socializing with a few people. You'll know most of the people in attendance. You'll be in a room full of wizards who are perfectly capable of handling any situation that might arise"

The Malfoy family threw a yule party every year, on Christmas day. Just about everyone of importance attended. The sacred twenty-eight were the twenty-eight pureblood families that were still 'truly' pureblooded by the 1930s. They all ran in similar circles, ranging from ministry officials to followers of the dark lord. They were all highly respected in the wizarding world for different reasons. Some were rumored or known to be followers of Marvolo while others were light or grey wizards. None of them were confirmed to be a part of the light side though and that was reassuring. Dumbledore knew that Hadrian was often with Draco and by extension probably spent time with the Malfoy family but he didn't know just how involved Hadrian was with the Malfoy's and the same went for Severus.

Dumbledore had his suspicions about who Severus was married to but he didn't know who exactly he was married to. Marvolo had been very tricky when he went to the school two weeks ago and used a glamour spell in parseltongue so that Dumbledore couldn't tell who he was. Dumbledore's glasses were bewitched to allow him to see through glamours and other enchantments a wearer might use on one's self. Because the spell was spoken in parseltongue it made the spell too strong for Dumbledore's half-moon spectacles to see through. Dumbledore had no idea that Lord Voldemort had been walking the halls of Hogwarts, nor did he know that. Hadrian was the son of the dark lord and the man's best 'spy'.

"I still don't think this is going to end well" He frowned slightly

"That's not for you to worry about now is it scarhead" Draco gave him a half smirk

"Prat" Handrian laughed.

"Come on we need finish and get ready for bed"

Hadrian nodded his head and went about his night routine while Draco went through his wardrobe again, looking for anything he could have possibly missed while packing. His shower was quick. Most of the time he spent in the bathroom was spent untangling his hair and trying to braid it up for the night without using the hair spell he had been taught. He had been practicing because he had never liked to rely on his magic too much and he would need to learn how to do all the fancy designs he wanted without the use of magic. He wouldn't be able to use his wand as often until he turned seventeen.

He knew that the trace on magic from the ministry couldn't tell who exactly cast the spell but that didn't mean that he could bend the rules. Severus and Marvolo would be less than pleased if they caught him using magic outside of the school year. The summer before this year had been an exception because of all the things he needed to be taught that Hogwarts and the people around him had failed to teach him but now that he was just about caught up there was no reason for him to continue to use magic. Dueling was one of his strong suits now thanks to Rabastan and Rodolphus. There was no proper reason for him and Draco to need to use their wands. They would travel by floo or side apparition on occasion and other than that he wouldn't have any reason to use magic.

One of the house-elves could get him whatever he needed and it was unlikely that he would need anything outside of what the house elves could provide. Hadrian hadn't been raised to be a high maintenance person. He was a very independent person and would do everything he could himself and if he couldn't do it himself then he would find a way to be able to do so.

He was going to miss using magic but at least he would have more opportunities to use it than he had in past summers and this year he would be surrounded by house-elves and other wizards and witches. He would be surrounded by people like him and no one would call him a freak. It was a major improvement.

His braiding skills on the other hand could definitely use some improvement, he thought as he inspected the slightly lopsided braid he had put his hair into. The part could be better and the strands of hair were a bit uneven but it would do for one night. Blaise and Theo were back in the dorm room by the time he was done in the bathroom and Theo was quick to snag the bathroom. Draco was already changed and he sat with his legs crossed under him at the end of his bed with a book in his lap. Blaise was sitting at one of the window seats that looked out at the murky green water of the great lake. There was nothing to hint at what he was thinking about and he seemed so deep in his thoughts that Hadrian didn't want to interrupt him by asking.

He sprawled out gracefully across his bed and yawned tiredly as he crawled up to the head of his bed and crawled under the heavy, fluffy duvet. The dungeons tended to be colder than the rest of the dungeons but he found it rather nice sometimes. Draco hated being cold so more often than not he would cast warming charms on just about everything from his clothes to his bedding. Hadrian found it amusing until he realized first hand just how cold the dungeons got in the winters.

Draco for some reason had started casting the warming charm one Hadrian's bed at the same time that he would cast the warming charm on his own bed. Hadrian wasn't complaining of course. He actually found the action to be sort of sweet.

"Night guys"

"Night"

Gripping the canopy curtains he yanked them closed around his bed and crawled completely under the covers and hunkered down for the night. He fell asleep staring up at the top of the canopy, quietly humming an old Christmas song he had heard on the radio once.

The morning was hectic. They were still required to go to breakfast but that didn't stop most of their house from being awake earlier and louder than they usually were. That didn't stop them all from looking just as put together as they normally were. Everyone was chattier than normal and the great hall was loud enough to make him think that there were more people in the hall than normal but that was expected. Everyone was absolutely buzzing about their holiday plans and he was buzzing right along with them. Aside from some glares from students in other houses, it was a good morning.

The ride from Hogwarts to London was nine hours long and the train was due to leave at ten. They wouldn't be getting to kings cross station till seven at least if the train kept on schedule.

They didn't have to worry about getting their trunks thanks to Severus. He shrunk down the trunks for anyone who asked so that they could keep them on their person and not worry about them, just whatever they wanted on the train with them. Hadrian had been smart enough to ask Dobby for snacks and the elf had been ecstatic at the idea of serving Hadrian, even if he wasn't supposed to be doing things for Hadrian while at Hogwarts. They left for the Hogsmeade station at nine twenty and the train departed exactly at ten.

Instead of getting a compartment they settled on getting two tables in the dining car. Blaise and Hadrian sat on one side with Draco and Pansy across from them. Blaise and Pansy sat near the windows while Draco and Hadrian sat on the aisle seats. In the second booth, Theo and Daphne sat in the aisle seats on one side and Crabbe and Goyle sat on the other side with Crabb closest to the window. Out of solidarity most of Slytherin house, along with their allies from other houses sat in the dining car with them. Their belongings were stored under the tables by their feet and on the overhead racks.

They ordered some sweets off the trolley when the trolley maiden came through and spent the hours they had to kill eating sweets, talking, and eating the snacks that Dobby had procured for them. The ride was pleasant and full of excitement. The energy was infectious from the slightly homesick first years looking forward to seeing their parents to the ecstatic upper years who couldn't wait to see have a few weeks off of school.

It was rather dark by the time the Hogwarts express pulled into the station but they were excited as they tugged on their cloaks and gathered their things. They ended up leaving the train car rather late. Daphne insisted on waiting because neither she nor Astoria fancied crowds and Hadrian was quick to agree with them. Their families were waiting for them on the platform, along with a couple of straggling families, caught up in being reunited with their children for the holidays. Hadrian would be going home with the Malfoy's. Severus wasn't able to leave school grounds until the next day and it was risky for Marvolo to leave when so many order members would be around. It was better safe than sorry and Hadrian had been quick to agree.

They said goodbye to the others and were quick to join Narcissa and Lucius where they were waiting. They were both greeted warmly, Lucius clapped him on the shoulder gently and turned him this way and that to get a proper look at him before he did the same thing to Draco, all the while giving them both pleased smiles. Narcissa pulled him into a warm hug, similar to the ones Mrs. Weasley would give him but far less smothering than Molly's made him feel. He returned their greetings and affections with a warm feeling in his chest.

"The train is a little late but that was to be expected with the snow." Narcissa fussed over the collar of Draco's cloak as she spoke.

"Do you boys have everything?"

"Yes" He and Draco replied simultaneously, which caused the two adults to smile in amusement.

It wasn't till they turned around to go to the apparition point till Hadrian noticed that they were being watched, from several different angles in fact. On the far side of the platform near the floo system stood the Weasley's. It was only Ron, Ginny, and Hermione but Mrs. Weasley was giving them some rather nasty looks every time she looked over and Mr. Weasley, while not glaring, was looking at them with a mix of confusion and dissatisfaction. He couldn't help but look around and notice something that made his heart sink just a bit. Over by the entrance to platform nine and three quarters stood Remus and Kingsley Shacklebolt. Why so many members of the order were hovering around the platform he didn't know but he was willing to bet that they were there to watch him and see who was supposed to pick him up if the looks they were giving him were anything to go by.

When he looked back at Lucius the man just gave him a tight smile and directed them to the apparition point. Narcissa was sure to tell them all the important things she felt they should know, despite the fact that they were both taking apparition classes at Hogwarts and knew the rules of side apparition. She was just worried that they would end up splinching themselves.

He could feel Remus' eyes track him the whole way to the apparition point but he didn't dare look back as they went and when he turned to face Narcissa and Draco he kept his gaze solely on Draco in order to avoid looking past him at his second godfather. He felt the tight squeeze as they disapparated with a crack like his eyes and eardrums were being pushed further into his head and his limbs were stretching like he was being pushed through a long thin tube.

Thanks to all the lessons he had had so far he barely even stumbled when they appeared on one of the patios of Malfoy Manor. Very few people were able to apparate directly onto the property but at this moment he was happy that they were right outside the manor. He would be staying with them for dinner as planned and Marvolo would be waiting for him on the other end of the floo. Why he wasn't going straight to Riddle Manor he didn't know but he enjoyed the thought of spending dinner with his godparents and whoever else was lingering around the manor.

Once inside they were greeted by Bellatrix who had been sitting in the sitting room connected to the patio and reading a book. She was quick to toss her book aside though without care and scoop the both of them into tight hugs, her black hair was as wild as always and they both had to turn their heads to avoid getting a mouthful of it but they returned the hug just as enthusiastically as the one she gave them.

"Go wash up boys, dinner will be ready any moment" Narcissa shooed them off with a fond expression.

Dinner was an interesting affair. Bellatrix demanded that they tell her everything about their school year so far and had more than a few threats and colorful words for Ron and the pathetic actions of him and the distasteful actions of students at Hogwarts. Rabastan and Rodolphus had been a bit more subtle with their threats and probing questions but mainly had been concerned about just how far the rules and standards at Hogwarts had fallen.

After dinner Lucius arranged the floo for him and he was quick to wish them farewell for the day. He didn't even misstep when exiting on the other side of the floo, having enough practice by now to step into the landing. Marvolo was waiting for him on the other side of the floo. He was quick to set aside the glass in his hand and stand up. He held his child by the shoulders in order to get a proper look at him much like how Narcissa had just hours ago when he had departed from the train.

"You look well Hadrian, tis a shame the holiday begun so late"

"There was a problem in Hogsmeade according to Dumbledore so he pushed back the break. I doubt there was an issue though, I received several invites to his office." He couldn't help but roll his eyes, even though neither Severus nor Marvolo liked eye-rolling and Narcissa would have a fit "I'm sure he just wanted to know where I would be and who I would be spending the holiday with."

"Yes, Albus can be rather meddlesome" Marvolo sighed.

"If it's alright I want to go unpack."

"Yes of course go on, Severus will be home in the morning, we have plenty to discuss of course."

He grinned as he set off for his room. His room was exactly as he had left it when he had first left for Hogwarts and it was comforting to see the room so clean and well-tended to and know that the house-elves had left everything exactly as it was. Removing his shrunken trunk from the pocket of his pocket he set it by the foot of his bed and concentrated hard. He was immensely pleased when he waved his hand and the trunk returned to its original size without issue. He didn't bother unpacking much, since he wanted to get up early and had time to unsettle. He didn't have to worry about Hedwig since he left her with Severus. She wasn't fond of traveling on the train so he had left her in Severus' capable hands for the night. She would most likely stay near Hogwarts during the break.

The shower he took was relaxing and he was quick to change into a set of dark red sleep clothes he found in one of the drawers in his wardrobe. Slipping under the grey and blue covers he removed his glasses and placed them on the nightstand next to his wand He happily hunkered down for the night.

As expected Severus arrived at the manor in time for breakfast the next morning. Breakfast was full of lighthearted chatter about the day's plans and speculation about how tomorrow's plans would go. As per tradition, the Malfoy Yule Ball would be on Christmas night. Just about all of the sacred twenty-eight were invited along with all of the other respectable pureblood and half-blood families in Wizarding Britten. Many of them would be from the Ministry or other respected positions.

He spent the day split between emptying his trunk of the things he wanted to keep in the manor and spending time with Marvolo and Severus. He enjoyed the time he spent with the two adults. Their time was spent catching up on all the things they couldn't exactly talk about in their letters and Marvolo and Severus easily caught him up on all of Dumbledore's plans and all of the things Marvolo had been working on.

Because of the delay in the starting of the holiday break he didn't have time to get fitted for formal clothes specifically for the party but Draco had enough foresight to have him fitted for formal clothing. With some help from Critter, one of the house-elves Marvolo had specifically wanted to tend to him, he was able to have the colors changed to something a little more Christmas themed.

Being home was comforting, seeing everything, as it had been when he left, was comforting in a way that he never got to experience with the Dursleys. He knew that his relatives often ransacked Dudley's second bedroom after he left for school, looking for anything that might be valuable so they could sell it and claim it was repayment for all the 'money and time' they spent 'raising' him. He fell asleep easily that night and found himself looking forward to the morning.

Nagini had found his room sometime during the night and coiled her large body up at the end of his bed. It was comforting to wake with Nagini so close by, knowing that while she was there nothing could hurt him without her defending him. she didn't stir in the slightest when he rose and set about his morning with excitement and nervousness coiling in his gut. He settled for wearing a pair of cotton sleep pants and one of his well-worn shirts he had managed to hide from Draco. It was slightly too big on him but the fabric was soft and worn against his skin and he couldn't help but rub the hem between his fingers as he woke Nagini with a few hushed whispers in parseltongue.

They made their way to the dining room together and he couldn't help but look around in astonishment. The halls were as pristine as always but the portraits were just a tad more lively than normal and there were a few splashes of color that hadn't been there the night before. Splashes of green and silver that were mixed with tasteful bouquets of poinsettias.

The dining hall was just as eloquently decorated and at the table, Marvolo and Severus sat. Somehow the two men always managed to rise before Hadrian and he was convinced that they woke up before the sun. Nagini wasted no time and slithered forward with purpose, wrapping herself around the leg of Severus' chair and upward till she was resting on the table, away from the food but close enough to try and procure a piece of meat from Hadrian.

"Good morning"

"Good morning brat. Happy Yule" Severus greeted with a slight smirk and an amused glint in his dark eyes

"Happy Yule Hadrian." Marvolo didn't sound nearly as composed as Severus and it made him feel better to know that he wasn't the only one that was nervous.

He would never be audacious enough to assume that the Dark Lord felt such silly emotions but the thought made him feel better about his own nerves.

"Eat up child, we have much to do today. We will be going to Malfoy Manor at the end of breakfast to have a family celebration then we will be helping Narcissa with any last-minute decorations before you will need to get ready." Severus lectured as he folded up the copy of The Quibbler and set in down next to his empty plate.

He was quick to gulp down the nutrient potion that was sitting next to his plate like always before he dug into the breakfast that was sitting on his plate. Thanks to a warming charm it was still hot and he gave a near silent sigh in delight as he popped the runny yolk of his eggs and picked apart his toast. He always picked apart his toast into bite-sized pieces and dipped them into the egg yolk as it slowly spread across his plate. He often broke down his sandwiches and other handheld foods like this. Marvolo always raised an eyebrow at him when he did it but neither of the adults ever said anything about it and neither did Narcissa or anyone else from their family. He never did it in public so it didn't particularly matter to them as long as he ate his food and didn't play with it.

No matter how bizarre some of the dishes they ate sounded.

After breakfast he was quick to go back to his room and grab the shrunken bag that held his gifts for everyone before meeting his parents in the sitting room. From there they flooed to the parlor of Malfoy Manor and he was bombarded the moment he stepped out of the fireplace. After he had been taken in by Marvolo and Severus he and Draco hadn't been apart for more than a night, half a day at the most and they saw each other even more often than that when he had been sorted into Slytherin so spending all of Thursday apart felt weird.

"Finally, I was ready to go and retrieve you myself, I want to open my presents" Draco spoke in a whiny voice but the badly hidden smirk on his face made it obvious that he was only joking.

"Hold your horses you prat, it's not even eleven o'clock yet"

"And?"

He snorted "You're impossible"

"Happy Yule Aunt Cissa."

"Happy Yule dear, come, I believe Lucius has gathered everyone up. They should be in the sitting room by now"

She was correct in her assumption, everyone was gathered up in the sitting room that was decorated in a way that was both tasteful and festive. A mix of green and red and that wasn't an eyesore or too extreme the way Hogwarts was often decorated during the holidays.

"Come Come let us open gifts!" Bellatrix said excitedly as she clapped her hands together excitedly.

Hadrian was quick to free his charmed pouch from his wrist and opened it. He had wrapped them on Thursday and had Critter shrink them so that they would fit into his bottomless, feather-light pouch. He pulled out each gift and set them next to the rest under the tree with the rest and looked at Severus with a hopeful look. The man snorted and pulled his wand out and unshrunk the packages.

"Well go on" Narcissa ushered him and Draco closer to the gifts and Bellatrix sat with them on the floor, between them and the tree, and started passing out the gifts.

He got Lucius some old political books he had found in the Potter family vault and upon reading them he thought that the books would serve Lucius much better than they would ever serve Hadrian. He got Narcissa a Necklace with an intricate snake pendant with green gems as the scales and diamonds as the eyes. He got Rabastan some rather high-end pranks from the Weasley twins that he knew Rabastan would love. He got a custom made chess set for Rodolphus, the pieces were made from wood and hand-carved into the shapes of various animals that lived on the African savanna. He got mice treats and owl treats respectively for Nagini and Hedwig.

He had called for Kreacher and asked what he thought that Bellatrix might like and the elf had popped out of the room without uttering a word.

Moments later an old wooden box appeared on his bed with another pop. It was a jewelry box. It was empty and obviously old but very well cared for. every inch was polished and not a single blemish could be found on it. He had called Kreacher and when the house-elf popped back into the room Hadrian had asked about the history of the box and he found that it had belonged to Lysandra Black. It had been passed down to Irma Black, Bellatrix's Grandmother. The jewelry box was then passed on to Bellatrix's mother Druella who never got the chance to officially pass it on to Bellatrix. When Bellatrix was young she had always admired the box, then she went to Hogwarts, the first wizarding war was beginning and quickly heating up. Druella Black died from a sickness and ultimately the jewelry box ended up in Walburga's care. She took care of the box until it could be passed on again but ultimately she had died before she got the chance and had commanded that Kreacher make sure the box went where it was supposed to be. It went into the basement when Molly Weasley attempted to throw it out, claiming that it was old and that Sirius would have no use for it.

Bellatrix gasped when she saw the box and held it with slightly shaky hands and a slightly wild and uncertain look in her eye.

"Hadrian is this..."

"Kreacher helped me. He protected it with the orders to pass it on to you or one of your children as soon as he could."

She gave a giggle that had a slightly hysterical edge to it "I knew there was a reason that I tolerated that bastardly little house elf"

He laughed and agreed with her. Kreacher was not like any other house elf but he was still a good house-elf where it mattered.

Severus was just as shocked at the gift he got. Originally he was going to give him expensive potions set and rare ingredients that cost a fortune in Diagon Alley. In the end, he realized just what he could get for Severus.

Basilisk scales were one of the rarest potion ingredients in the world and the venom of a basilisk was even harder to come by. He knew from brief conversations with Draco and with Severus that there were a few, expensive potions that Severus wanted to brew but couldn't because he needed the rare ingredients. One night with the help of the Marauders' Map and his invisibility cloak he snuck into the chamber of secrets without anyone knowing and harvested as many scales and as much venom as he could from the basilisk. There must have been some sort of conservation charm in the chamber because the basilisk looked the same as it did the night he had killed it.

He had gotten more venom and scales than he thought he would and he was happy to wrap them in labeled crystal vials and wrap them.

"I want to ask you how you obtained these but I don't think I want to know," Severus said with a raised eyebrow

"No you really don't. Just let me know when you need more"

Marvolo snorted, probably having some sort of idea as to how Hadrian acquired the oh so valuable ingredients.

For Marvolo his gift had been much riskier to retrieve. Something had been bugging him during the week leading up to the holidays. The same night that he got Severus's present he had used the Marauders' Map and snuck into Dumbledore's office when the man wasn't there, using one of the hidden passages the map showed. It had been like a whisper in the back of his mind that grew louder and louder the closer he got to Dumbledore's office. It was a whisper, pleading for him to find it. Like it was something that was missing from him that desperately needed to be reunited with him. The ring was sitting in a half-closed drawer, clumsily thrown on top of the destroyed diary of Tom Riddle.

He couldn't help but pick up the ring but the moment his finger came in contact with the ring he saw flashes, heard someone scream. Just as quickly as it happened it had stopped and the ring was left in the drawer, spinning around rapidly like a quarter that had been spun. He shivered and twitched slightly as he tried to gather his wits about him and he did. He picked up the ring hesitantly and this time, when nothing happened he quickly tucked it into his pocket and grabbed the diary as well.

He was quick to flee the headmaster's office, completely undetected and unnoticed by the sleeping portraits. The ring was interesting, it didn't call to him with a desperate urgency anymore as it had and now it was more like a content humming in the back of his mind.

The ring was in a sleek black ring box. There wasn't much that he could do with the diary but he thought that Marvolo at least deserved to have it back in his possession.

The moment Marvolo had opened the box he stiffened, Lucius did as well when he looked over and saw the remains of the destroyed diary in the box. Marvolo took longer to regain himself before he opened the ring box with haste and he opened the ring box and pulled out the ring that rested in it. He seemed shell shocked as he examined the ring before slipping it onto his finger and twisting it around on his ring finger before sharp eyes lifted and met Hadrian's, gaze dark and serious.

"Where did you get these Hadrian"

Sheepishly he rubbed a hand over the back of his neck "Dumbledore's office. I was getting Severus' gift and I don't know...It was almost like it was...calling to me? It was almost like it wanted me to find it and when I touched it it was like...like it was a part of me?"

He stumbled through his answer, unsure of how he could explain what he meant when he couldn't even really understand it all himself.

"When I went to pick it up I saw flashes of you. I thought it might have been important and I knew that the diary was yours so I thought you might want them back"

"That's very reasonable and while I understand why you did it, I can't condone you sneaking into the headmaster's office. You would have been in serious danger if you had been caught. The rest...we will have to talk about the rest later, thank you, Hadrian, I do appreciate having these within my possession again"

"These are for you too" He reached around Bellatrix and held out both the packages. In one, was a cuff link set for Severus and in the other was a tumbler set that contained fire whiskey, knowing that Marvolo fancied the drink over most others.

He himself received a new broom which he absolutely couldn't wait to use. The second part of his gift from Marvolo and Severus contained milky white wisps that he recognized as memories. His eyes had widened when he saw them and Severus had been quick to jump in and explain.

"We thought that you might like a few more happy memories of your parents. Narcissa and Lucius helped us acquire them"

"Thank you so much" He clutched the vials close to his chest as he gave them a wide-eyed grin

Along with that he received two Herbology books from Neville that the teen swore by, an unmarked potion from Blaise that he was tempted to make Draco test, a nifty little dream catcher from Theo and sweets and a prank set from Crabb and Goyle and his favorite sweets from Astoria. He happily split the sweets between Draco and himself and they both pretended to ignore the looks their parents sent them when they tried to eat some of the sweets then and there. He was enthralled with the enchanted cloak sent to him by Daphne. He couldn't help but thumb the edges of the cover of the Thestral book Luna sent him along with a bubbly little note wishing him a happy holiday. He had received a little wooden box from Pansy with a note to open in private. Now all the gifts that were left were the ones Draco and Hadrian had to exchange with each other.

He had agonized for days, thought long and hard about what to get for Draco. He wanted to get Draco something special but he didn't know what. He wanted to give Draco something more a normal gift between friends because he and Draco were more than just friends. He didn't know exactly what he and Draco were but he knew they weren't just friends. They spent too many days together talking about things they would never share with anyone else and too many nights sharing a bed in the room of requirement.

He couldn't call them friends but he didn't dare call them more than that.

He had looked through the logs of what he had in the black and potter vaults and even got permission from Marvolo to look in the Slytherin vault for something adequate to give to Draco.

In the end he found the perfect thing to give as a gift. After looking through profiles from Gringotts and found a ring. It was made of silver and tungsten with a blood-red ruby. The ring itself was black in color and the setting was made of Celtic infinity knots. According to the profile he had received it was the promise ring his great grandfather Herbert Burke had gifted to his great grandmother Belvina Black. The ring was later used as Belvina's wedding ring and the ring was passed onto Dorea Black. It was supposed to be her wedding ring but it was given up in favor of the ring Charlus Potter bought for her. It was now considered to be an unofficial consort ring, given to those who wanted to court but not put undue pressure and strain on a budding relationship.

He smiled at the blonde as he passed over the small box the ring had been delivered to him in at the same time that Draco handed him a box a bit bigger and longer than the one he gave him. They both grinned at each other as they traded gifts and went to open boxes simultaneously only for both of them to freeze when they caught sight of what they were holding.

In his hand, Hadrian now held an open box with a silver and blue locket. He couldn't help but look between the locket and Draco even while Draco stared at the ring he had been given.

Opening the locket he couldn't help but run his finger along the edge of it as he observed the photo inside. It was of him and Draco dancing together in the ballroom. He remembered the incident quite well even though it had been sometime during the summer. He and Draco had been up late and they had decided to work on Hadrian's dancing. It was disastrous because it was dark and neither of them could really see well. This resulted in Hadrian stepping on Draco's feet more than once. The picture was of the both of them huddled close, still embracing each other and laughing like the funniest thing to ever happened did.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Draco sliding the ring onto his finger and cradling his hand to his chest like it was the greatest treasure in the world and a great sense of pride and happiness swept through him. It was an odd feeling but not an unpleasant one. handing the necklace back to Draco he was quick to give him a reassuring look as he turned his back to the blond.

"Help me put it on" He demanded as he pulled his hair aside

Nothing happened for a moment, then Draco was shifting closer and lowering his arms as he draped the necklace around his neck. It was beautiful. Polished and obviously well-taken care of. It gleamed like it was brand new but he was willing to bet that it was just as old as the ring that he had given Draco.

"Thank you" Draco mumbled so lowly that he barely heard it but he was willing to bet that the blond was blushing the way he usually did when he was embarrassed.

"I love it by the way," Hadrian said as he threw a grin over his shoulder.

"Alright" Rabastian startled them both as he clapped and rubbed his hands together "If everyone is all done opening presents than we should set about getting ready"

Draco and Hadrian promptly groaned while the adults chuckled in amusement. Lucius was quick to shoo them out of the room to get ready and as soon as they were out of the room they were running down the hallway. Ignoring the portraits on the walls that scolded them along the way.

So far, it was shaping out to be a great holiday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I worked really really hard on detailing this chapter and making things realist to the point where I made it a bit over-complicated honestly but I'm proud of all I've done. I included a picture of the class schedule just because I thought I'd be helpful. I strongly suggest looking at the image on a phone just for quality and sizing purposes.


	4. Unexpected Spells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ball went a lot better than expected...the next day...not so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year Everyone.
> 
> Sorry for reposting this chapter but I decided that I wasn't happy with it and as such made a few minor changes, corrected a few mistakes I missed the first time, nothing major. I'd also like to tell you that I will be updating the tags when the next chapter is posted. 
> 
> Important: I might be renaming this work so be sure to tell me what you think of that in the comments, I'd love to hear your guy's input on the idea.
> 
> Hope you enjoy and continue to stick with me and this story!

The ball was a lot more pleasant than he thought it would be. Draco and Hadrian had separated after the gift exchange to get ready without having to work around each other. Hadrian showered and did his hair by hand as he silently dreaded the night. He had just barely managed to get away with not attending a birthday party that would serve as a front for a meeting. Hadrian's job was to attend the birthday party of Marcelle Duret. The daughter of a powerful politician in Wizarding France. He was expected to dance with her and generally be friendly. From what he had heard from Draco the girl was a spoiled brat that constantly threw tantrums over boys she couldn't have. They had been getting ready to leave for the dreaded party when a death eater showed up at Malfoy manor with pressing news. Hadrian didn't know what it was exactly but not even a few minutes later Severus was summoned along with Lucius, Narcissa, and the rest of Marvolo's followers. Draco and Hadrian had been ushered off upstairs, the party long forgotten.

They never found out what happened but they knew better than to press the matter and Hadrian hadn't been willing to look a gift horse in the mouth. In the end, he thanked Merlin and Morgana that he didn't have to go to some wretched birthday party and pretend to get along with some girl he didn't even know.

There was no getting out of the Malfoy's ball though. He had missed too much due to growing up in the muggle world. He missed cotillions and formal training classes with his peers and more than a few important social events. Now that he was the official holder of so many titles it was important that he start interacting and forming alliances with the Heirs his age because one day he might need their favor, he would need those ties for when he one day held power over the muggle world.

It wasn't that he expected for the evening to go bad, he knew that no one would be stupid enough to attempt anything with so many people around but It was still nerve-wracking for someone so new to everything.

Narcissa, as per wizarding customs, had invited the sacred twenty-eight and over half of the traditional half-blood families that the Malfoy's had good relations with. Even those that they didn't have a strong connection to were invited because it was considered rude to purposefully not invite someone with a good social standing. Of course, when he learned this he had been assured that families like the Weasleys and other loyal followers of Dumbledore always declined the invitation or never even bother to write back with a response at all .ie the Weasleys. It was almost completely certain that no one would show up that hadn't been there before and they all knew better than to do something that could bring embarrassment to their family.

As long as he could avoid dancing and act as he had been taught too then he would be fine. Severus would be there along with Marvolo, Lucius, Narcissa, Marvolo, and Draco. They would be able to help him if anything happened. Sadly Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan couldn't be there because of the ministry personnel present but according to Rodolphus the three of them weren't all the big on celebrating the holidays for some reason or another that Hadrian knew better than to ask about. Fenrir wouldn't be present either as he was away dealing with pack business.

Standing in front of the vanity mirror to what had become his room in the Malfoy residence he couldn't help but run his hands through his shower-damp hair. He hadn't put much thought into how he would wear it but he knew better than to just leave it like he so often did on school days. Events such as this called for something 'more'...according to Draco at least. Grabbing his wand from where he left it on the counter he debated what to do for a moment before the perfect idea came into his mind. Daphnee much like Narcissa when it came to her looks, was never the type to do anything half done. Daphne had done her hair in what she had called a messy braided updo. Hadrian had thought it was pretty but Daphne hadn't been charmed by the look and didn't wear it for more than an hour before she had changed it. With a wave of his wand, he decided that he rather liked the look on himself.

The whole thing was held together by a black and dark blue hair clip that perfectly matched the clothes that had been set aside for him.

By the time he was finished getting ready it was time for them all to meet but he couldn't help but look himself over in the mirror one more time. He wore a black button-up shirt, a slate gray waistcoat, and a set of dress robes that Narcissa had bought him some time ago and insisted that he wear tonight. He wore black fitted slacks that ended just below the start of his black dragonhide dress shoes. The look was completed by the silver and dark blue locket that just so happened to match the buttons of the dress coat and hair clip. The locket was a comfortable weight around his neck and he couldn't help but run his finger along the edge of it like he had that morning when Draco had given it to him.

With one final glance towards the mirror, he shook his head and left his room only to meet Draco in the stairwell. The blond was leaning against the wall like he had been waiting for him impatiently for hours on end.

"Took you long enough, come on guests will be arriving any minute"

Draco wore a fitted set of dark red dress robes that was offset by the black of his slacks and waistcoat. The button-down he wore under it was the same red as his fitted dress robes and it was easy for Hadrian to admit that Draco looked good, even if the color was unexpected for such a proud Slytherin.

"I believe Severus and Marvolo are already in the ballroom, if you need me I'll be in the foyer with mother and father greeting the guests until everyone arrives"

"Find me when you're done" It wasn't so much of a question as it was a demand.

"Of course now go on, it wouldn't due for you to be late" Draco teased as they split up.

The ballroom was decorated just as nicely as the rest of the house was. With splashes of green and silver that were complemented by the red of the poinsettia bouquet that served as centerpieces on the tables. There were wizards and witches present, holding trays of little appetizers and drinks to offer to guests. Narcissa had insisted on hiring a caterer instead of using house elves because they tended to get too excited when surrounded by so many people but Hadrian knew it was just another way to show off some of the Malfoy wealth. Holiday parties were not just about celebrating in the wizarding world, they were political statements and power moves. Everything from the caterers to the furniture to the guests was deliberate. The dark furniture was offset by the grey table settings and the silver and red centerpieces, all expensive and costume made.

It was easy to find Severus and Marvolo conversing at what was being considered the head table. It wasn't round like all of the others but rectangular like the head table at school. In the front of the room instead of lined up in a row of three like the other ones were. According to the name placements he and Draco were conveniently seated next to each other which meant it would be all the easier for them to converse even though it meant that the adults of the group would have a hard time conversing with each other. It was easy for him to talk with Severus and Marvolo to distract himself as people started to fill the room. The back half of the ballroom had been left open and free of tables so that people could gather and dance freely without having to get rid of the seating options.

As soon as they saw him lingering nearby they decided that It would be the perfect time to test his ability to keep his cool in a non-hypothetical situation. They insisted on the three of them walking around the ballroom to rub elbows with some of the Wizarding Worlds' most influential people. It wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it would be. The hardest part of the whole thing was avoiding a short, pixie-like woman named Aleena Campell. She was a reporter with the daily profit. She wasn't as bad as Rita Skeeter but she was just as conniving and drama hungry. After last year and all of the excitement from the ongoing school year, the last thing he wanted or needed to deal with was reporters.

It helped that many of the guests were familiar to him. Lady Longbottom and Heir Longbottom were the first to interact with him. He and Nevile exchanged pleasantries after publicly giving each other permission to refer to each other by their first names as was customary. They talked about a few of the common polite topics before they separated to exchange pleasantries with other guests. Lord Nott was wary of him but was pleasant towards him none the less, if for no other reason than the respect he had for his lord and lord's consort. He watched Hadrian and his son interact closely while he had a conversation with Marvolo and Severus. He and Lady Parkinson had a lovely conversation with Pansy about their Hogwarts classes while Severus and Marvolo talked about something or another. Lord Greengrass was not subtle as he tried to interrogate Hadrian much to Daphne's amusement. He asked all sorts of questions about Hadrian, including his friendship with his daughters. Marvolo found it amusing but Severus didn't seem to have an opinion on the matter.

Lady Chiara Morelli was a lovely lady from what Hadrian could tell, she had a kind smile and a sharp tongue. It was easy to see that Aiden and Aaron got their wits from their mother. Lady Morena Quinn was a ridged but fair woman, he remembered meeting her briefly in the infirmary. She was quick to start up a conversation with Hadrian, curious about the boy she hears and sees so much of but never gets to hold a proper conversation with. She was polite and didn't pry while asking questions and the conversation was probably one of the most normal ones he had all night. It got even better when Aiden and Aaron joined the conversation and steered the topic towards quidditch. Lady Quinn knew very little about quidditch but it was her son's favorite sport. Her son, Heir Hudson Quinn was unable to attend. They talked about how well Aiden and Aaron were doing in quidditch and Hadrian was more than happy to praise them and watch their mother give them looks of pride as they talked.

Aiden and Aaron had plenty to say about Hadrian's skills as well. They were subtle in their compliments but they were there and that made Hadrian rather proud, considering that the twins rarely had anything good to say about anyone.

He was quick to politely excuse himself when from the group when the conversation began to lull a bit. Just about all the guests had arrived by now, Lords, Ladies, and Heirs alike all gathered in little groups, socializing with the people they obviously knew well. Everyone mingled for what felt like hours when really it was only one at most before everyone started finding their way to their seats. By now Draco, Narcissa, and Lucius had joined their guests in the main room but they had been socializing across the room with the Duret family.

Lucius and Narcissa were smiling but there was something about Narcissa's smile that was fake and rehearsed as she talked to Francheska Duret, the woman who held the ladyship of the Duret family. Lucius wasn't smiling at all as he and Lord Florien Duret about what must have been pretty serious as the both of them nodded along with what the other said while occasionally objecting with points of their own. Draco seemed to be suffering the most though as he singlehandedly had to entertain Marcelle Duret. Hadrian remembered what Draco had told him about her well. She was entitled and bratty and generally everything that reminded Hadrian of Dudley and even Draco back before he had gotten to know the blond.

She was tall for a girl her age with long brownish-black hair. Her tan skin made her bright colored lipstick and dark-colored eyeshadow pop as her lips constantly moved. Draco stood rigidly in front of her as he tried to not make it obvious that he wanted to tune her out or not be a part of the conversation at all. Very few people knew Draco enough to tell that he would rather be anywhere else but Hadrian could. Draco's mask was one of the reasons he was given the nickname of 'Ice Prince Of Slytherin'. He was capable of concealing his emotions and his cold exterior often made people wary of him. The cold look he wore now was the same look Draco tended to give anyone that he didn't want to be bothered with and it was usually enough to get people to leave him alone. Marcelle didn't seem to take the hint though as she continued to go on and on.

Hadrian didn't particularly want to be sucked into the conversation, not when he knew she had been incredibly eager to meet him at her birthday party. Instead, he edged his way around the guests surrounding him. Lady luck didn't appear to be on his side though, as he bumped into someone rather roughly. They both stumbled back, appearing taken aback by the sudden jostling. The crowd around them seemed to back away slightly to give them room but no one did anything. They simply went back to their conversations or observing them out of the corner of their eyes. Hadrian was quick to right himself, a hand reached out in an aborted gesture in hopes of helping to steady the stranger. They were lucky enough that her drink hadn't been spilled either.

"My apologies Madam, I mustn't have been paying attention" Hadrian was quick to apologize as he bowed slightly in apology.

"I too apologize, I didn't see you Heir Riddle-Snape" She bowed as well.

"Hadrian, please" He gave her what was supposed to be a smile "and you are?"

"Sarah Mulley, it is a pleasure to meet you"

"The pleasure is mine I assure you"

She was nice enough. They didn't talk about much outside of what was considered a polite conversation between strangers. She asked about Hogwarts and his studies and what her years were like at Hogwarts. They didn't talk about her job because she worked in the Department of Mysteries as an Unspeakable and she was forbidden from doing such things but they found plenty of other things to talk about, like her affinity for kneazle's and his appreciation for muggle music. They spent a good amount of time talking before they realized just how much time had passed.

"I believe dinner will be starting soon...It was a pleasure talking to you Hadrian"

"The pleasure was all mine Sarah" He smiled as he watched her excuse herself before he himself saw fit to find his seat.

He was seated in the middle of the head table with Draco on his left and Severus on his right. Marvolo sat on the other side of Severus. Narcissa had mentioned the fact that they would be sitting at the head table because it was customary to have close family seated together. Because Severus and Marvolo were Draco's godparents, and Narcissa and Lucius were his, that meant they were to be treated with the highest respect. The role of godparents was far more meaningful in the wizarding world than in the muggle world. Being a godparent was considered a high honor that was taken extremely serious. Godparents often took blood oaths to protect their godchildren and many were responsible for teaching their godchildren different parts of Wizarding culture. Godparents always had the highest claim when it came to legal matters that regarded their godchildren.

If anything ever happened to Marvolo and Severus, Lucius and Narcissa would have every right to claim him as theirs. The same went in Draco's case, if anything ever happened to Lucius and Narcissa then Draco would legally be Marvolo and Severus' responsibility and no one would have the right to contest, not Dumbledor or even Andromeda or Bellatrix could contest if guardianship of Draco came into question. Being a godparent trumped even the claims that sisters, uncles, and grandparents would have in other situations.

This also meant that they got special privileges like sitting with each other at special events.

Dinner was supposed to be starting at any moment. Everyone was moving languidly around the room as they looked for where they were to be seated. He and Draco made plenty of conversation in that time, they made a few snide remarks about Marcelle Duret, quietly enough that they couldn't get caught and scolded by Narcissa and Severus. Apparently, the Duret's were trying to climb higher than their station. They were already rather high on the scale but Florian Duret didn't seem satisfied with that. They weren't as well regarded as the Malfoys or the Parkinsons but they were nothing to sniff at either. From what Draco said, the Duret's had hinted quite heavily at a marriage contract between their children. Narcissa and Lucius had subtle shot them down but Marcelle didn't seem to get the memo because as she talked to Draco, she mentioned future plans a lot more than what could generally be considered light conversation. It was all Draco could speak of now, bemoaning the very thought of a future with such a person. The night was actually going quite well

Of course, nothing could ever go as smoothly as they should have. Hadrian would blame it on rotten luck but Draco called it ignorance and habitual daftness. He wasn't referring to Hadrian, no he was referring to the ineptitude the Weasley's possessed as they bustled into the ballroom.

They weren't supposed to be there. Everyone had assured him that the Weasley's never attended any of the Malfoy's functions despite being invited every year. Molly Weasley lead the group, Aurthur following just a few steps behind her. Ron and Ginny followed their parents in and neither looked anything like they did when they were in school.

Ginny wore the brightest, most pleasant-looking smile she could muster but her hands twisted around the sleeves of her dark blue dress, wrinkling the fabric and giving away the agitation she was feeling. Ron didn't even try to look like he wanted to be there. The glare he wore twisted his features into something vindictive and ugly. It was similar to the look he wore at the dance when he found out that Hermione had in fact, had a date to the Yule Ball in fourth year. Molly and Arthur were both dressed well in traditional wizarding robes that were definitely new. Ron wore blood-red dress robes that also had to be new. Having spent plenty of summers in the burrow he had seen just about every article of clothing the Weasley's owned and never had he seen the dress robes they currently wore. He knew the Weasley's well, they didn't even have the money to spend on such fancy robes. The collar of Ron's robes were slightly stretched out already like he had spent an unhealthy amount of time pulling at the collar of his shirt. Bill, along with Fred and George followed after their parents and younger siblings at a much more dignified pace.

Narcissa and Lucius were quick to excuse themselves from the table when they realized they had a new group of guests. It was painfully obvious that Narcissa and Lucius hadn't known that the family would be in attendance. Lucius was quick to call a house-elf and have them reconfigure the tables to accommodate with minimal disruptions to the already seated guests. It was different from the round tables that had been placed all around the room for dinner. It was the perfect thing to remind him that Lucius had a bit of a petty streak in him. Instead of rearranging the surrounding tables so that they all fit, he rearranged one and had a table added in the back. Hadrian felt a bit of sympathy shoot through him when he noticed that the Deboyce and Milligan families had been giving the misfortune of being seated with the Weasleys.

Draco did very little to curb the amused snort that left him. Severus was quick to scold him, his face perfectly passive even as continued his conversation with Marvolo. The two of them didn't even bother to acknowledge the activity the Weasley and brought into the room, unlike the other occupants in the room who couldn't help but acknowledge that the Weasley's attended a Malfoy event for the first time in decades. It was like Severus and Marvolo couldn't even be bothered with the new arrivals.

Once everyone was rearranged and seated Narcissa and Lucius took their places at the head table. Lucius was the last to sit, pulling out Narcissa's chair and pushing it back in once she was seated like the gentlemen that he was raised to be. Hadrian found the new seating arrangement rather fitting once he thought about it. The Milligans were known rather well for their patients and would get along well with the Weasley's thanks to their shared Light magic affiliation and then there was the DeBoyce family who were rumored to be literal saints and produced some of the most neutral grey wizards around. Dinner was a rather interesting affair. He could feel people constantly watching him, sneaking glances at him with his fathers only to look away when he or Draco turned to follow the gaze burning into the side of his face.

It was pleasantly amusing to visibly see Molly Weasley trying to control her children. If people weren't watching Hadrian, they were discretely watching the Weasley clan. Molly didn't believe in many of the traditional costumes the wizarding world still practiced and as such she never saw the need for things like private tutors and cotillions and other, common traditions that pureblood wizarding families still abided by. Never mind the fact that the Weasleys couldn't afford a private tutor, Molly didn't think that her children needed to be taught such fundamental things as manners. She didn't think that her children would be happy that way. Their Manors were....deplorable at best.

Ron didn't try to participate in any of the conversations going on around him. He sat, slightly hunched over his plate, and focused on his food, which wasn't all that surprising honestly but rude nonetheless. Ginny was aggressively controlling a conversation between herself and Imogen Deboyce, talking across the table to where she sat between her husband and son. The older woman couldn't seem to get a single word in as Ginny blabbered on with the occasional input from Molly. Authur and Laurence seemed to be getting along rather well as they talked, even though Laurence Deboyce was known in the community for being rather dull and serious while Arthur was much more relaxed when it came to casual conversation. Draco didn't seem surprised at all and commented on the fact that both men worked for the ministry. Laurence was a muggle expert and Aurthur was a muggle lover. It made perfect sense in Draco's mind.

The only ones who seemed capable of behaving properly were Fred, George, Bill, and Percy. The latter two had been put at a separate table altogether and seemed to be getting along swimmingly with everyone at the table they'd been placed at. Fleur was notably absent but Hadrian was willing to bet that it was because Bill didn't want to impose any more than he knew that his family already would be, showing up without any warning and all. They sat up straight and traded what appeared to be a pleasant conversation. The most surprising thing about Weasley's presence though was the fact that George and Fred appeared to be on their best behavior as well. They trade pleasantries with most of the Milligan family.

It's not that he thought that Fred and George were an embarrassment. He just knew that they got their relaxed nature from their father and were generally much more outgoing than the rest of their family, desperate to be seen as more than just two more red-headed Weasley'. He found it interesting how differently the twins acted when there was no one around to hold them to rather exacting expectations to be like their older brothers. Owning the joke stop really had done wonders for their self-confidence and become wonderful young adults.

Dinner seemed to fly by and not long after dinner started, the tables were being cleared away and moving to the edges of the room. The house-elves had tastefully set up the seating and chairs so that the center of the room was now large enough to become a full dance floor. Where the head table once was now sat a display of beautiful, charmed, instruments. Among them was the Malfoy's Steinway & Son's grand piano. Hadrian loved the sleek black instrument and admired it every chance he got. Draco never quite understood his obsession with the instrument but he also found it rather endearing. Hadrian knew Draco knew how to play the piano and had taken piano lessons since he was young but the blonde always refused to play for him.

Hadrian didn't know why but he left Draco alone about it and treasured the moments that he and Draco shared in the room of requirement when Draco would play of his own volition. Draco would play one of the pianos the room left for them for hours. They never talked much then and the pieces Draco would play were often drawn out and sad but Hadrian never minded.

They watched as Lucius and Narcissa were the first to step out onto the dance floor. The music starts and Hadrian was instantly mesmerized by the scene, as were many others as everyone watches the couple start to dance.

Narcissa was the one to teach him how to dance but it looked very different from how she danced now with Lucius. There is no awkwardness here. Just a loving husband and wife dancing together at a holiday party. It was sort of weird to see the two of them with such blank expressions but Hadrian had gotten to know his new godparents rather well and he was fascinated by their dynamic and couldn't help but try to interpret the smallest of tells. They didn't smile at each other or really show any outward emotions but they did talk discreetly to each other. It would probably be the only ounce of privacy they would have till the party ended. There was an occasional twitch at the corners of Lucius' mouth as he tried to mask a grin and there was a recurring arch to Narcissa's eyebrow and an amused twinkle in her eye. It amazed him how anyone with a working set of eyes could think that Lucius and Narcissa didn't love each other.

As rumors would have it, the Malfoy marriage was for that of convenience and not for love. It didn't help that Narcissa and Lucius were not the warmest people when in public. Draco was labeled the Ice Prince at Hogwarts because of his cold exterior but his father had healed a similar tittle during his school years as well, according to Severus. Draco of course had to learn how to be so cold from somewhere. Lucius was well known for his ruthlessness during Wizengamot sessions and Narcissa was well known for her prowess in the medical field. They were the definition of a power couple. Some people just seemed to be unable to grasp the fact that even though their union was arranged, they got along so well because they had been best friends. They had been high school sweethearts so to speak even before Abraxas Malfoy set out and forged a union between his son and the youngest daughter of Druella and Cygnus Black.

"Quite romantic is it not?" Hadrian startled the smallest bit but the girl must have caught the way he tensed up a bit because she giggled rather fakely at him. "Did I startle you Heir Riddle-Snape"

"Of course not Heir Duret"

He had not yet met Marcelle Duret himself but he knew enough about her through Draco and by watching her discreetly as the night went on. She was much like Ginny in his opinion but she had a much better handle on her temper and was much more mindful of her manners. That didn't really make her that much more pleasant to deal with though she could be considered picture perfect.

A little further from him in the crowd, he could see Draco having a conversation with Daphnee and her parents. Many of his friends were at different parts of the ballroom, mingling and having conversations with other guests. Severus and Marvolo were nowhere in sight and Lucius and Narcissa were still dancing. There was no one who could run interference for him at the moment and he sighed internally as he mentally steeled himself for a long and tedious conversation.

"You go to Hogwarts with Draco yes? What is that like?"

"I imagine it's not all that different from Beauxbatons" He stated, "that is where you attend school is it not?"

"Oh of course, but they have their differences I'm sure"

Hadrian didn't really know enough about Beauxbatons to point out the differences between the two schools. Even then he knew a few of the smaller differences from his interactions with Fleur. They didn't sort by houses and they ran their quidditch teams a little bit differently. They stood at attention as a sign of respect for the headmaster and didn't sit till they did. There were plenty of things that separate the two schools but that didn't mean Hadrian could point them all out.

"We're sorted a bit differently than you are. I can imagine that the classes are a bit different of course"

"Oh of course" She trailed off as her gaze trailed off back to the dance floor.

A few couples had joined Narcissa and Lucius on the dance floor now and it was rather nice to see so many people enjoying themselves...Even if he himself was trying to figure out how to get out of his current ongoing interaction.

Among the hum of noise that filled the great hall, the most prominent sound over it all was the sounds of laughter and conversation that half-drowned out the sounds of the music. The gathering was nothing like the yule ball. This experience was far better because he was in attendance with family and with people that he cared about greatly as well as meeting new people who didn't hold a grudge against him for something he couldn't control.

"Dance with me"

"What?"

She didn't repeat herself. Instead, she let out a mildly annoyed huff and grabbed him by the hand to pull him onto the dance floor before he could utter so much as a protest. They were in the middle of the dance floor in a matter of seconds, dancing alongside Lucius and Narcissa within the thin throng of dancers that had inhabited the dance floor. It would simply be in bad taste to reject her advances so openly in the middle of the dance floor. It would not only shame him but reflect badly on his manners. This was the first large gathering of highly respected wizards and witches Hadrian had ever attended that didn't involve quidditch, or silly school dances that he had no choice but to attend. It was rather underhanded of her to purposefully put in in such a situation but he had to respect her determination to get what she wanted.

It would reflect badly to reject her in the middle of the dance floor just because he simply didn't want to. Wizarding etiquette was all about pleasantries so Hadrian was required to be nothing less than pleasant.

One day Marcelle would inherit her father and mother's prestige and Hadrian would make his own name in the wizarding world as Marvolo's and Severus's successor. He might need her connections one day and if there was one thing Hadrian had learned, it was that people tended to hold a grudge.

It wasn't the most terrible thing in the world but it wasn't the most pleasant either. Marcelle seemed to feel the need to fill the silence between them while they danced but it was nothing but gossip. He never developed a taste for Marcelle's brand of gossip but he nodded along with what she had to say and pretended to be interested. He settled for counting the minutes and nodding dully as he tried to tune out the sound of her voice.

The song ended at some point but Marcelle made no move to leave the dance floor. Instead, she waited a moment and started dancing again to the rhythm of the new song that came on. She didn't give Hadrian a chance to object either before she was forwardly placing his hand on her waist and tightly gripping his hand.

They danced for half the song and at that point, Marcelle finally seemed to run out of things to talk about. She settled her head, much to Hadrian's discomfort, on top of his shoulder. This caused their bodies to press much closer to each other than before. Most days Hadrian was pretty okay about the whole physical touch thing. He had never really had a problem with hugging his friends. Handshakes and sitting shoulder to shoulder with others was never something he could never do but that didn't mean that he wasn't keenly aware of where and how close other people were to him.

It's why he got along so well with the other Slytherins and his newfound family. They knew where the boundary lines were in the sand. None of them were the most touchy-feely people but when someone did want physical contact they didn't just bombard you the way Gryffindors did. Sure there was something to love about the easy contact. About the relaxed way, they would throw their arms over each other's shoulders and squeeze together in the great hall so that their shoulders and arms brushed together every time they moved.

He had been touch starved for a long time. He used to savor and look forward to every kind touch he was offered. He used to love Mrs. Weasley's bear hugs and the constant playful shoving after quidditch matches as they celebrated their victory. Being with Marvolo and Severus and the rest of his new family helped show him exactly just how much he savored his personal space as well as those kind touches. He still liked physical contact sure, but on his terms, with people who understood his boundaries and never pushed when he shied away from touch.

He was keenly aware of the people watching them and occasionally he would catch glimpses of the Durets, standing with Severus and talking, and occasionally he could see hints of Daphnee, Pansy, Astoria, and Blaise looking his way as they smirked and giggled at him and his predicament. He could see Fred and Bill smirking at him occasionally and George would flash him a thumbs up every chance he got. Ginny was scowling at him from somewhere to what would be his left if he was standing still. The combined gazes of so many people and his discomfort at the close contact was more than enough to finally make him start to pull away to end their dance.

He didn't know Marcelle well enough to want her this well acquainted with his personal space, especially not long enough for a second dance.

"Mind if we cut in?"

Hadrian hadn't even truly pulled away from his dance partner before they were interrupted. Marcelle was more than a little reluctant to let go of him in return but he happily turned to face their interrupters. Blaise and Draco stood before him and Marcelle, both smiling pleasantly. This was the first time Hadrian had seen Blaise up close all night but Hadrian could be the first to admit that Blaise cleaned up well. He was the nerdy cute type, even though he played Quidditch and seemed to be the general opposite of a nerd. No matter how well off Blaise seemed to be doing, his dormmates could always tell when his stress levels were high and he was worn down to the bone.

Blaise looked well-rested and far more relaxed than he did when he was at school. It was obvious that the holidays must have done wonders to his stress levels.

"Actually-" Marcelle started.

"Why of course we don't mind" Hadrian interrupted her for the first time that night he extended his hand out to Draco. Blaise offered Marcelle his hand and swept her away the moment their hands came in contact. The wink he threw over his shoulder towards Draco and Hadrian silently said that he knew exactly what he was getting himself into.

Before Hadrian could turn his attention back to Draco he was being twisted around in a spin. The sudden movement startled a laugh out of him and left him slightly dizzy when he came to a halt, standing in front of a smirking Draco Malfoy. Draco wasted no time grasping Hadrian's waist with his free hand and pull him just a bit closer and begin to lead them, steps perfectly in time with the music as they danced.

Hadrian would pay to wipe that smirk off his handsome face.

"What are you smirking at Malfoy"

"Nothing"

Hadrian let out a disbelieving huff but he allowed Draco to continue to lead them. Their dance was nothing like dancing with Marcelle. He was relaxed and completely at ease as Draco lead their dance. Draco only made it all the better with the casual conversation he kept up through the dance. He joked about everything from the guests and their horrible taste in clothing, to the boring conversations he had to bounce around in. He went above and beyond to distract Hadrian from prying eyes. It was nothing like the nights that they shared dancing in the secrets and shadows that the dark offered but it was a close second.

The conversation lulls for a moment and Hadrian can't help but comment on something that's nagged at him since he had stepped onto the dance floor "Everyone is staring"

The space between Draco's eyebrows scrunched up slightly the way that said something was displeasing him. "What does it matter, let them stare and know they will never get to have this"

"What is this exactly"

Neither of them could deny that there was a this. It was pointless to even try but Hadrian didn't think they would ever actually acknowledge it. They'd dance this same dance for years. Ignoring what they knew was waiting in the dark to be found in favor of enjoying what they already had. Part of it was fear too, fear of losing the comfort and joy that the other brought them. It was a silly way to think of it and many would think them to be cowardly for their reluctance to pursue what they wanted but they both knew the importance of taking things step by step.

Neither of them really knew what they were doing. The last thing they wanted to do was rush into anything and mess things up.

"What do you want it to be" Draco responded, unbeknown to both of them, they were slowly shifting closer together as they danced.

"You can't answer a question with a question you prat" Hadrian drawled slowly

"Who says"

"I do"

The sound Draco made was a cross between an amused huff and a disbelieving snort but they were standing so close to each other that they were just inches from being chest to chest, far closer than what would be called proper at a social event.

"And who said you get to call the shots Hadrian"

Their voices had quieted considerably since they started the conversation and it was amazing that they could hear each other at all over the music and other people. They were close enough to be sharing the same air and Hadrian was close enough that he could see the distinct flecks of Ice grey in Draco's light blue eyes.

The moment couldn't have been more perfect for them to say something, anything, really. They could state all the reasons as to why they should go through with what they were both thinking and they could come up with even more as to why they shouldn't but in this very moment, they couldn't seem to find a single word to say as they continued to oh so slowly lean in closer to each other.

"Oh there you boys are, come with me Draco, Hadrian. Your Fathers and I have some people we'd love for you to meet."

These friends happened to be the Le Doux family, the Lund family, Narcissa's older sister Andromeda Tonks, and Delores Umbridge. He knew a little bit of Andromeda but not enough to form a proper, unbiased opinion of the woman. Hadrian had never met the Lunds or the Le Douxes and so he had no opinion of them but Deloris Umbridge was a name he was painfully familiar with and wished that he could forget. She was a vile woman and Hadrian thought that he would never have to deal with her again after the disaster that was the previous year.

The scars on the back of his hand seemed to burn at the very thought about the detentions and seemingly endless punishments she always had waiting and ready for him. Somehow through everything, he managed to hide the words that marred his hand. Not even Draco knew about them. He had asked about Hadrian's bandaged hand last year, yes, but Hadrian fed him a lie about a hex from him and Hermione practicing their dueling out by the great lake. He didn't tell him about the blood quill or anything else until he had found out in Umbridge's office. As far as Draco had known up until that point, Umbridge made him write lines with an ordinary quill and clean classrooms during detentions and only ever raised her hand to him that once in her office hours before Sirius died.

She gave him a reproachful look when she saw him approaching. He may have new glasses and clothes and he may physically look different but he was not a person someone could easily forget. They had spent enough time in each other's presences after all and he doubted that she was anywhere close to forgetting about how Hadrian and Hermione had tricked her into going into the forbidden forest and let her get taken away by angry centaurs.

He ignored her and instead turned to the families standing around him as he came to a stop with Draco on his right and his fathers on his left. In front of him stood Heir Adelia Le Doux, Captain Of Aurors in the french magical community. Hadrian, when he had still wanted to be an aurora, couldn't help but admire her for all of her accomplishments. Unlike Ron who could only ever make lewd comments about her looks. Lady Victoria Le Doux was also well known to him. He had read about her in plenty of books about healing magic.

He wasn't as well versed in Lord Doux's work but he saw the man being a more capable, less corrupt version of Minister Fudge. He and Lucius seemed to know each other rather well as they conversed over different things with an air of familiarity, making Hadrian believe that they knew each other quite well.

The Lund family Hadrian had heard of once from Pansy. According to her, Lady Carina Lund bred some of the finest show dogs in Britten. She bred Dobermans and according to Pansy, they were strong and their fur was dark and they were the friendliest things in the world. Her child was Olena Lund, a Drumstrang student he had briefly met through Victor Krum back in his fourth year. She was friendly enough but just as gruff as the rest of the students that seemed to always end up at Drumstrang.

She didn't mince her words but she wasn't cruel or unkind either.

The Lund's oldest child, Nickolas and he was also a Drumstrang graduate. He was following in his father's footsteps and worked in the ministry. Albin Lund served as the ambassador to Sweden. Lucius had the man's praises when the man wasn't around but here in front of him, Lucius did nothing but hassle the man good-naturedly. According to his memory, Albin had attended Hogwarts with Lucius, Narcissa, Severus, and the others. He was a year or two younger than Narcissa and had been a Ravenclaw.

"Draco, Hadrian" Lucius smiled a smile that was slightly warmer than the one he would have given to anyone else "I'd like to formally introduce you both to Lord and Lady Le Doux and Lord and Lady Lund, along with their Heirs, along with Andromeda, Narcissa's sister"

"Tis a pleasure to meet you bot" Heir Nickolas smiled as he bowed to them in greeting. He and Draco returned the niceties as introductions were made and small talk was exchanged.

"You actually met the Le Doux family once Draco but you were far too young to remember" Narcissa spoke as Lady Le Doux (please, call me Victoria) gushed over how tall and handsome Draco had grown to be.

The conversation rolled from there until the Lund's moved on with promises to arrange a less formal meeting where they could all gather and get to know each other. Marvolo, Hadrian, and Lord Le Doux talked about things like his studies, to some of the duties he fulfilled as the french minister of magic. Narciss and Lucius talked with Andromeda about an assortment of things while Draco, Lady Victoria, and her daughter Adelia Le Doux had migrated to their conversation by this point. Umbridge, seeing ministry work as something they had in common, politely joined in on the conversation as well. Draco knew that he and Umbridge were less than capable of being civil with each other if left on their own so he ran interference as much as he could in the form of frequently asking Lord Le Doux a number of different, intelligent, questions about the French wizarding government. It just so happened that he also managed to steal most of the man's attention away from Umbridge

Umbridge, never one to be ignored, made a comment about letting the grown-ups talk. That one comment started a rather passive-aggressive back and forth game between her and Hadrian. If Lord Le Doux or his family noticed the tension they didn't comment on it but Severus sent him a sharp look occasionally, along with Narcissa and at one point Draco had gone so far as to pinch his side, even though they both knew they would laugh about it later.

Occasionally Marvolo would cast him looks that were somewhere caught between amusement and warning. He couldn't bring himself to back off though, not when Deloris Umbridge was a vial woman who thought it was okay to bring physical, emotional, and mental harm to children. Some of those children had been older than Hadrian and sure some of them had actually done something wrong but that didn't give her the right to hurt other people. Some of those students had been younger than Hadrian. Some of them had been first years or muggle-borns and still trying to learn their way around the complicated ins and outs that was Hogwarts. Umbridge never even tried to make it easier for them.

No one deserved to be treated the way Umbridge deliberately treated people and in his mind....that made her just as bad as his so-called relatives.

"Tell me, Mr. Riddle-Snape how are your relatives doing"

It was a low blow. No one outside of his new family knew about his situation with his old relatives. Word had gotten around Hogwarts that he had been adopted and it had gotten around outside of school too but that didn't mean the reason why he had left the Dursleys was common knowledge. Many people couldn't handle that truth and it wasn't like he was willing to shout it from the top of the astronomy tower every chance he got. The world was a dark, selfish, and cruel place that many children would never have to see and they would never know what things Hadrian and hundreds of other children had to experience. There was nothing that separated him or made him more special or deserving of the new family he got. In the end, the wizarding world wouldn't be able to wrap their minds around the possibility that Harry Potter had been abused. It wasn't worth airing all his secrets and honestly. He didn't want to give more people a reason to think that he was just seeking attention.

It didn't matter if he was telling the truth or not. People only saw what they wanted to see.

He doubted she actually knew what went on in his home life before he had taken control of his life and been adopted but it still struck a nerve every time the subject was mentioned. He might have a new family and new memories to fawn over in private but that also didn't wipe away years worth of trauma and generally bad experiences.

"They are just fine thank you, how are your parents I hear Ellen is doing well" His voice was mockingly sweet and he filled his voice was childlike curiosity that Draco had commented on before.

He said it made Hadrian seem almost innocent and if he used that voice on adults then it would get him whatever he wanted.

None of the other adults seemed to catch that way Umbridge's face twitched with resentment but next to him, he could feel Draco's shoulders quiver ever so slightly, like he was trying to hide his laughter. Everyone in the Wizarding world knew better than to acknowledge the woman's family. It was no secret that she despised her mother because the woman was a muggle-born. She blamed her mother for her brother being a squib. Deloris herself claimed to be a part of the Selwyn family but everyone knew that she was just trying to boost her own blood credentials.

People that asked her about it almost always ended up getting hurt in some obscure way But Hadrian didn't care about that at the moment. Antagonizing the bitch was much more than fun than trying to construct a way to tear her down till she was nothing. He was already doing that with Dumbledore and some of the Weasley's a short term game would be fun. He needed Dumbledore and the Weasleys and Granger but he needed nothing

Severus exhaled much louder than he usually did and Hadrian knew they would probably be having a very long conversation later about the whole mess. They would want to know why and he would have to give them a better answer than just 'I don't like her'

"I apologize for interrupting but I believe I would enjoy a dance before the end of the evening Hadrian care to join me"

That was surprising. He had seen Severus at the yule ball, playing chaperone but the man hadn't danced, and honestly, he didn't seem like the type that would want to dance with his son at a holiday ball. He didn't seem like the dancing type at all. Severus didn't seem like one much for dancing at all really. Maybe he could believe it if it was Marvolo that he was asking to dance with. From what Hadrian had seen and learned Severus and Marvolo were the type of couple that liked to please each other. If one of them wanted to dance, the other would dance with them. If one of them wanted to do something as mundane as cooking or reading in the sitting area and wanted the other with them then they would do it because it made them happy.

"Of course" He didn't let his weariness show.

He and his parents had grown somewhat close. He didn't call them Father or dad out loud unless he didn't intend to like when he needed a moment of tenderness or because he was helping to compose a united front in the face of less than friendly adversaries. They were his parents, yes, but calling them Dad and Father seemed like a big deal so he reserved the names for times of need and times of great importance.

No one tried to stop them from leaving and Umbridge retreated from the group a couple of minutes later and disappeared into the crowd, obviously miffed and embarrassed if her hurried exit was anything to go by.

The song sounded like it was already a couple of refrains in when they start dancing but Severus seemed to have no problem taking the lead and moving them perfectly in time with the music. It was a little awkward with the stilted silence between them even as they danced seamlessly together, neither of them seemed to be able to think of how they were supposed to start the conversation.

"Madam Umbridge is no longer a teacher at Hogwarts so why do you continue to antagonize her" Severus' voice was the same low, drawn-out timber that he used on students that he was fond of or didn't have the natural ability to piss him off. Hadrian had come to find the tone particularly calming. He most often used it on his Slytherins

"She is a vile woman. She deserves everything that comes to her."

"While she is an annoyance that wouldn't be enough for you to go out of your way to bother her" Severus intoned.

"She uses cruel medieval practices that have no place in a school" Hadrian bit out before he could think his answer through. He didn't know If Severus, as a teacher, had ever found out about the blood quills during Detentions.

"As I recall, you spent a great deal of time in detention with her" Severus wasn't asking.

"This isn't a conversation for now Sev"

"Then it can be part of the conversation we're going to have later than"

They settled into a much more relaxed conversation that Hadrian mostly dominated with talk of the upcoming quidditch season. They'd been practicing all year but with the end of the break drawing nearer and nearer so did the start of the quidditch season. As disinterested as Severus often was when it came to quidditch he had no problem indulging his son and godson in quidditch-centered conversations. Mostly they talked about the Slytherin team and debated strategies and their chances of winning against the other houses. Severus got pulled into the conversation when they needed someone to settle on of their debates about the better plan.

The season was supposed to start in November but because Gryffindor lost their captain Dumbledore decided to push the season back two months. The official reason was to give the teams more times to practice but everyone knew that was an excuse. It had also been Dumbledore's idea, in order to make up for not having a quidditch season last year, to extend the season so that they would be playing twelve games instead of six this year. It was exciting to think about. The games would take place back to back Saturday afternoons starting right after lunch and continuing all the way till dinner.

Severus was a little displeased with the fact but he seemed to like that Draco and Hadrian were so excited about it all.

The party lasted for hours and Hadrian could say with complete honesty that he enjoyed himself. He and Pansy had danced, and watching Blaise and Theo dance together on a dare was more enjoyable than it should have been because Blaise was completely composed while Theo was a flustered mess. He talked with the Mulleys and the Abbingtons. He met Therese Reis and Cassandra Reis, a snarky Librarian and a very morbid positioner respectively. They were very friendly with Marvolo in a way that said that they had been acquaintances for years but they had expertly dodged the questions about how they had met. Severus didn't seem concerned and he seemed to appreciate Therese's snarky sense of humor so Hadrian didn't worry about it all that much.

He interacted with a few Hogwarts students that had attended the party with their parents and got along well with the Milligan children and the Morelli's because they were all more than happy to talk about quidditch and classes and not about the latest gossip at Hogwarts.

If he'd wanted gossip and meaningless filler then he would have asked Pansy to chat. She somehow always knew what was going on within the walls of Hogwarts. She also had the best blackmail material. Plus talking to her always somehow ended with Pansy getting information that you would never want anyone to know. She was sneaky and clever that way.

They got plenty of it that night because when high maintenance, and often petty, Witches and Wizards were at a party, combined with good alcohol it created the perfect recipe for drama. The Weasley's, aside from Arthur, Bill, and the twins, somehow managed to offend just about everyone they talked to. Ginny didn't know how to stop talking about anyone other than herself. She talked about her and her new boyfriend Dean Thomas and how he was so lucky to be dating her. She often made comments that were less than appropriate for the conversation and she was hardly able to interact with anyone her own age because they were quick to dance away from her bad attitude and even worse manners.

Ron was rather hostile and brushed off all attempts at conversation, especially when he realized that the other person wasn't willing to trash talk Hadrian or the Malfoys in their own home during their own party. Percy was the most mild of the bunch, he simply didn't know when to stop talking about certain topics and was far too blunt to be appropriate.

Molly was a mix between her two youngest children. She acted like everyone's mother, commenting on the length of people's dresses or how uncomfortable the dress robes looked. She talked about how great her youngest children were and how proud she was of them for their school achievements, even though one of those children was failing rather terribly and the other was a bad-mannered attention hog. Neither student exactly had any achievements to boast about. The only thing they had in common was the fact that they were both on the quidditch team and only one of them was really skilled enough to deserve a spot on the team. Molly talked much louder than she needed to, about how proud she was of Percy and her three youngest children who all had wonderful careers but continuingly ignored the booming success that was the joke shop that Fred and George were so proud of. Ignored how Bill had made a name for himself, had a successful career, and lots of respect. Even Charlie, while his profession wasn't seen as the most glamourous, still garnered him respect, good pay, and a deep sense of contentment as he did what he loved.

Arthur was rather reluctant to interact with anyone other than his family or Laurence Deboyce, a muggle expert, and Ernie Mcmallen, a muggle relations worker. The only Weasley's who seemed to win anyone over wholely and completely were Fred, George, and Bill. The twins were funny and polite, if not a bit nervous about their interactions. They even interacted with Hadrian for a bit before Molly had pulled them away with a scathing and disappointed look Hadrian's way and Bill had caught Severus' attention briefly before he left in hopes that Severus would share his well wishes with Hadrian since he didn't get a chance to himself.

Hadrian, Severus, and Marvolo decided to leave once people started getting beyond the pleasantly buzzed and tipsy faze and into full-blown hammered. They weren't the first to be leaving. By now those who were smart enough to not overstay their welcome had left while others continued to drink and be merry. Draco had seemed to understand why Hadrian didn't want to stay any longer but still seemed disappointed that he wouldn't be sticking around longer.

Jokes about dancing together again some other time were exchanged as they said their goodbyes.

They apparated back to the manor and Hadrian was more than happy to finally shed his dress clothes in favor of a pair of soft grey sleep pants and a plain black t-shirt.

He exchanged his silver-framed glasses for a pair of thick-framed black ones that he saved for at-home. He had gotten them the same time that he had gotten his silver ones but for some reason, he tended to lose the black ones constantly. Instead of taking them to Hogwarts and risk losing them as he had around the manor, he opted to leave them home. If worse came to worse Severus could always retrieve them for him or Marvolo could send them via owl.

Despite having taken off the rest of the clothing he had worn he couldn't help but leave on the locket that Draco had given him. Even though he knew that he shouldn't sleep with jewelry on, least he strangle himself in his sleep.

By the time he joined Severus and Marvolo in the living room both men were back in the more casual clothing they only wore around the manor. They sat together on the love seat in front of the coffee table with the tumbler set of fire whisky that Hadrian had gifted them for Christmas.

Marvolo gave him a thin-lipped smile but Severus's face was blank and his onyx-colored eyes bore into Hadrian as if his stare alone was enough that Hadrian would confess every dark detail to every one of his most intimate secrets.

He knew that Severus wouldn't just forget about their conversation during their dance but he had hoped that at the very least that they could wait till the morning before they had this particular conversation. Though if he really wanted to avoid the topic he could have just stayed in his room till morning. The manor was huge, if he really wanted to avoid the conversation he certainly could. They wouldn't be pleased with what he had to say but putting it off wouldn't help at all either. For men who didn't particularly care for him in the past, it was rather contradictory but life was the same way at times.

Marvolo had tried to kill him more than once but then...Hadrian became his child and it was like a switch was flipped. He took care of Hadrian beyond the bare basics and when Hadrian got assaulted in the corridors at school the man practically spitting fire and raised hell in defense of his heir.

Severus was another matter entirely. The man had tried to save him during his first year during his first quidditch match when his broom got jinxed and he did defend Hadrian, during second year when they had been accused of being the one to petrify Ms. Norris. He physically put himself between his students and Remus when the human side was overrun by his werewolf instinct. He gave Hadrian Occumulocy lessons and gave Umbridge fake veritaserum and had gone out of his way to make sure Sirus was okay. He had no reason to do these things yet he did.

Hadrian may have been one of his students but there were plenty of teachers that would have been willing to do something like that. Lockheart, Crouch acting as Moody, Umbridge, and Quirrell were all perfect examples. They had all did or tried to hurt him in some way and over half the time they all acted as they adored him, minus Umbridge of course. Any teacher that showed too much interest was instantly a threat. Severus had never liked him and never seemed even remotely interested in his personal life outside of the potions classroom but when it came down to it, Hadrian knew he could trust the man with his life.

"Sit down"

He rolled his eyes and sprawled out across the couch. He was rather tired after the night of social interaction. All he wanted to do was to go to sleep but this couldn't actually put this off.

"In my defense she deserved it"

"Eloquent as always" Severus snarked

"What did she do"

This gained Marvolo rather confused and curious looks from his husband and heir.

"You were never one to be needlessly antagonistic to anyone who hasn't wronged you so what did she do to you that made you so defensive"

He couldn't help but absent-mindedly rub at the back of his hand. He still wore a glamour over the scars and by some miracle healer Colton hadn't detected the scarring on his non-dominant hand. He only found out about some old tendon damage from when Dudley had once 'accidentally' slammed his hand in the car door to Uncle Vernon's brand new car. No one outside of Umbridge, Dumbledore's Army, and McGonagall knew about the blood quills it seemed.

It had to be one of Hogwart's best-kept secrets.

Severus had never shown any signs of knowing about the blood quills and the Slytherins had probably never told him about them because Umbridge never punished the Slytherins for anything. Draco had wanted to tell the moment he had found out that day in Umbridge's office when she had slapped him but Hadrian had made him swear not to tell a soul. It wasn't easy, Draco had wanted to tell Severus and his father since their combined efforts would have been enough to make the school board intervene, but Hadrian had argued that Dumbledore already knew and so did McGonagall if the headmaster and deputy headmistress couldn't do anything then what were the chances that the school board could. There was no point in going to their parents when there were more important things to deal with.

He had never gotten it treated by anyone. He had even managed to hide his hand from Madam Pomfrey and anyone who knew forgot about it by the time the school year had ended. Draco had given him a letter the last night they spent together with detailed instructions on how to take care of the cuts and how to keep them from getting infected and it had helped it all heal up as best as it would without medical attention. He had to sneakily take care of the wound of course because the Dursleys would have done anything they could to keep him from being able to use them.

His hand was perfectly functional now so he saw no reason as to why it would be so important. He just knew that if Marvolo and Severus became aware of it then they would dwell on it and Hadrian wanted to put last year behind him. He couldn't do that if they insisted on dragging it all up again.

"She was needlessly cruel and proved to be detrimental to our education."

"Slughorn causes students harm every time he allows him into his class" Severus spoke a bit bitterly "and I myself was needlessly cruel to many students, the Gryffindors specifically yet you do not antagonize me in such a way even when it would be justified"

It was a good counterpoint because it was true when it was all laid out like that. Severus had made many children's lives a living hell but he was also so strict because people got hurt when potions were prepared incorrectly. If you weren't careful then a cauldron could explode in your face or a thousand other things that would end up with someone getting hurt.

"Slughorn never means for others to get hurt" Hadrian finally answered "And you aren't a mindless coward. You have your reasons"

Slughorn went into hiding as soon as the dark side started trying to recruit him and he had never stopped. Hadrian was well aware of the fact that Dumbledore had used the Potter name to get Slughorn to start teaching at Hogwarts. Slughorn was a good person sure, but he was a mediocre teacher who cared more about his students like him than he did about the general safety of the class. He was too soft on students and sought favor with the boy who lived with little thought as to who that might be beyond the dramatic tabloids and rumors and over-embellished stories.

"Will you tell us what she did to intentionally hurt you"

"She used blood quills on kids during detentions, especially after McGonagall confronted her about using one on me"

Severus, who had been taking a drink at the exact moment Hadrian had said anything, nearly choked on his drink, needing to bring slim fingers to his mouth in order to wipe away the bit of whiskey that started to dribble down his chin and Marvolo's gaze was dark and analytical.

"She didn't use it on the Slytherins from what I can tell and none of the other students she used it on suffer from any lasting damage. McGonagall made sure of that."

"That does not make what she did okay" Severus spat angrily.

This was the first time Hadrian could remember where Severus was truly angry over something that Hadrian had or had not done. He wasn't mad at him, he was enraged at someone else on his behalf. It was sort of like when Ron and Hermione tried to defend him, angry that he was in trouble again over something ridiculous. Over time Hermione and Ron seemed to accept that he was destined for trouble and eventually they stopped defending him, even if they knew he had done nothing wrong. Severus was upset because someone had hurt him though, dolled out unjust punishment without any reproductions, even if he had done something that was punishable.

It felt nice to have people in his corner who could get so upset over him.

"What did she make you write"

"I must not tell lies"

Severus cursed again before he placed his glass back on the table with much more force than necessary and stalked out of the room.

The space between Hadrian's eyebrows crinkled slightly in confusion briefly before he stood up as well. It had been a long day and he was beyond ready to go to sleep, tomorrow he and Draco planned on getting in some quidditch practice and later finally finding out what the sectumsempra curse did. Marvolo didn't stop him till he got to the doorway and when Hadrian turned the brown-haired man was staring at him. His eyes were almost always brown thanks to his glamour but now, they were rimmed red, like Marvolo's magic wasn't able to control the sheer anger he felt and reacting to the anger he felt.

"She will not get away with what she's done"

He smiled wanly "I know"

\-----------------------

The next morning his mind was like the deadly quiet after a storm when everyone was too wary to leave the house. It was so early in the morning that the elves hadn't even finished making breakfast and according to Nagini he was the only one that was even awake. She was only awake because he had woken him up in his own awakening. It was a bit of an odd feeling because he was never the first one awake. Draco usually woke up first and Blaise and Theo somehow always managed to wake up at the same time in the morning. To be woken up without someone rapping at his door or yanking open the bed curtains and pulling him from bed way weird. He never got to sleep in when he lived with his relatives and at Hogwarts, Hermione had always been prompt and had no problem with bugging Hadrian's old dorm mates until they agreed to wake him up, no matter how annoyed Hadrian would get about it.

He almost never woke up on his own and it was a rather unfamiliar occurrence that was becoming more frequent. He was allowed to sleep in now unless there was something he had to attend to in the morningsNagini was the only one to ever really wake him up. Nagini had her ways of making sure that 'her hatchling' was always getting an earlier start to his day.

He dressed in the spare quidditch gear he had in his trunk. His jersey, the pants, and even the boots which he had not yet taken to his quidditch room. He put on everything except for the padding since he wouldn't actually need those until he and Draco stepped onto the field. It wasn't an actual quidditch field like at Hogwarts but the terrain was just like it was on the practice pitch. He and Draco had had the house elves clear up and clean up the space. They remove a few uprooted trees and tamed the grass that was growing wildly out of hand so it was perfect for their practices. Hadrian even had Triply and Critter put up a little shed so that he and Draco had a place to store things because Severus refused to allow them to bring their muddy gear into the manor, even if it was just an old sunroom

He wasn't in the mood to possibly run into his parents just yet so he settled for eating a bowl of oatmeal in the kitchen and skipping out on his nutrient potion before he retreated to the library to get some much-desired reading done. He and Draco agreed to stay at Riddle manor since there were always more likely to run into someone while at Malfoy Manor. They would ride their brooms for a while and practice seeking against each other and use their game as an excuse to be out on the manor grounds. They both still had traces on their wands but according to Draco, it wouldn't be a problem since they would be on a property with two other wizards. No one would be able to tell the difference between Hadrian and Draco casting the spell from Marvolo and Severus casting a spell.

Draco was still going to bring an old, unregistered, family wand just in case. It belonged to his great grandfather according to his father. It would be perfect to use to test out the curse they found.

He was gone before Severus or Marvolo could intercept him in the halls. He sent a message off with Nagini for Marvolo so that they wouldn't worry too much about his whereabouts and set about his day.

He returned to his room and grabbed the potions book from his trunk and hid himself away in a secluded part of the library that he had claimed as his own. Originally it was the barest part of the library with few books and nothing occupying a majority of the shelves. It was a newer addition that had yet to serve its purpose. The space was large enough that he didn't feel trapped but small and out of the way enough that it couldn't really be found unless you already knew it was there or if you were purposefully looking for it.

Hadrian, with the help of some wandless magic, had made the space completely his own. He had called Kreacher and after a lot of complaining on the house elf's part, he pushed a small section of the wall back, creating a little nook just long enough that the head of the bed to fit. He fitted a bed in the space and added countless cushioning charms and heating charms to keep the space warm. He strung up a bunch of little blue star-shaped lights to fit in overhead to light the space up enough to read. He had also filled the space with plush black pillows, and the thickest black and gold comforter he was able to owl order. One side of the bed was flanked by a wall, now painted midnight blue. On the opposite side stood a backed bookshelf. The other side of the bookshelf faced the library and was full of the typical books that one could expect to find in a wizard's library, perfectly hiding his space from view. On his side of the bookshelf, however, was sparsely filled with nick-knacks and the books he had started to hold onto.

Some of them he knew would be invaluable in the future and others he kept because he simply enjoyed reading them. The space was meant for him to make his own and fill with whatever he wanted. Marvolo and Severus didn't seem to mind and Hadrian made great use of the space whenever he could.

The only wall that wasn't covered in sting lights was actually a window, covered by a huge blackout curtain. The space was his and his alone and he had been given full permission to do whatever he wanted with it. It had quickly become one of his favorite places because it was his. It was a symbol of his place in Riddle Manor and really, it was how Severus and Marvolo showed him that he had a place in their home.

Their willingness to accept him into their lives and rearrange large parts of their day for him used to give him whiplash but now it was a rather comforting feeling that he felt every time he entered his space. They didn't outright speak of their care fr one another, they were all emotionally stunted idiots with more than a few trust issues but they showed their caring for one another through actions. Hadrian poured all of his thought into his Christmas gifts, they gave him spaces and stories of his parents and protected him like he was something precious that needed to be protected at all costs.

There was no fourth wall or a door separating his space from the rest of the library and there didn't need to be one. Severus and Marvolo had always made it a priority to let him know that when they said something was his, they meant it. They respected his privacy and never entered any of his private spaces unless it was absolutely necessary or if they had permission. It meant a lot to him, even though he never knew how to tell them how their actions made him feel.

Petunia had never really come into his room and she only ever knocked on the cupboard door but Vernon had never been shy about barging into the small room that used to be Dudley's. Vernon also had no problem reaching into the cupboard and yanking him out by his hair or his arm or whatever other convenient handholds he could find at the time. Having his space invaded was something he found that he was rather picky about. When Marvolo mentioned the fact back when they had first taken him in he simply shrugged and mentioned that he never had a space that completely belonged to him as nonchalantly as he could. He didn't mind as much when he shared a dorm room with countless other people but even the Slytherins had known where the lines were while his old dormmates had been a little slow on the uptake.

He passed the time he spent waiting for Draco by reading from his potions book.

He was particularly fond of a retelling of an experience gone wrong on one of the cover pages of one of the chapters. It was for the potion on the previous page and from what Hadrian could tell, mixing up the order in which one added the ingredients did not make the potion more effective or reduce the amount of time spent brewing it. From the looks of the soot stains smudged on the corners of the paper, doing so only made the whole thing blow up.

It was about an hour or so after he first settled into his little nook in the library that he heard soft footsteps steadily approaching. The steps were too loud to be from Severus, who walked as if he was a ghost and the steps were far too quick to be Marvolo's who moved as if he was in no hurry. As if he could freeze time because he knew the world would stop revolving if he wanted it to.

He didn't look up until he heard a soft knock echo off the wood of the bookshelf. Draco stood leaning against the bookshelf, hair messy and in his quidditch gear as well. He wore a self-satisfied smirk as he looked at Hadrian. If Hadrian took a moment to search his mind he would have realized that Draco wore that same expression every time he saw Hadrian wearing the Slytherin green and silver quidditch gear but he was an idiot so of course, he didn't notice.

Somehow Draco had managed to get Vasily, their starting chaser, to give up her jersey number. According to Draco, she had been happy to give up the number seven in exchange for a favor. She didn't specify what the favor would be and but she promised it would be nothing too demanding according to Draco. Hadrian thought it had been a stupid thing to do but truly he appreciated the gesture and deep down he cherished the fact that Draco had gone through the trouble for him without Hadrian even having asked him to.

"Well come on you lazy prat" Draco smiled "We have practice to get too and spells to test"

Hadrian rolled his eyes but never the less he stood after marking his page in his book and setting it aside. He also grabbed the potions book from where he had it stashed behind a couple of other, much larger, and much less interesting books. If he took the book anywhere he always made sure to hide it, least Marvolo or Severus catch sight of it and become curious. Marvolo had a strict rule about no brooms in the manor so Hadrian's Broom, along with Draco's second one was safely tucked away in the sunroom that had been turned into a Quidditch locker room of sorts, complete with showers and a hamper to put all his clothes for the house elves to clean.

No one used the room and they rarely had guests so Marvolo had let him have the space as well. All of his spare quidditch gear was safely tucked away in the space, along with his broom and broom kits, and anything remotely related to quidditch that he didn't want in his room. Draco kept his spare quidditch gear in the space as well. His gear was custom made to have the colors of their house so it clashed horribly with the room but Hadrian found it too funny to change. Hadrian had the room painted in gold and red in honor of his house. Even though he was no longer in Gryffindor, that didn't mean that he no longer valued the traits that Gryffindor held dear.

"This room is truly terrible. You really should have Pansy come over and redecorate it"

"It's not that terrible besides it's meant to store our things and keep us from tracking dirt into the house, not to look pretty"

"That doesn't mean it needs to look like Godric Gryffindor threw up on everything," He said with genuine disgust as his nose crinkled as they entered the room.

Hadrian could be the first to admit that the room did look terrible. The gold was more yellow than gold and the red was not the deep-red of Gryffindor but far brighter. Hadrian found that he could no longer really stomach the deep red color, finding it too similar to the color of blood. Even with the awful color scheme, he couldn't bring himself to decorate the room in any other colors.

They were quick to grab their brooms and flying cloaks and make their way to the pitch. Draco held a small, black leather box in his hand and once they were both in the middle of the field he opened it to reveal the snitch. The little golden ball fluttered its little wings slowly for a moment as if to mimic a small child slowly waking from sleep before the fluttering strokes of its wings sped up and it shot into the air between the two of them before it took off up, up, up, until they could barely see the golden little ball.

Mounting their brooms Hadrian shot Draco a cheeky grin before pushing off into the air and giving chase to the golden little ball, tracking its frantic weaving and sharp turns, by the way, it reflected sunlight like a tiny sun.

Draco gave a cry of outrage as he joined Hadrian in the air and gave chase.

Draco, despite having what could be considered an obsolete broom, caught up to Hadrian quickly thanks to his skill and lean body. His Nimbus 2001 was not the broom he used at Hogwarts or anywhere that wasn't Malfoy or Riddle Mannor but he insisted on keeping it. He had become rather fond of the broom for reasons unknown. Draco was prideful, a common trait among Slytherins and Malfoys respectively. Draco refused to be seen with anything that was less than the best so of course, he was gifted with a new firebolt, not even a day after it had been released. Draco only ever used it when at school though and he was never as caring or gentle with his Firebolt as he was with his Nimbus 2001. It was definitely a sentiment thing.

They ducked and weaved around each other as they tried to out seek each other and be the first to catch the snitch. The snitch gave its best against the two experienced seekers but even without having to worry about knocking into other players and ducking from stray bludgers it was still hard for them to catch the snitch. It was light and nimble and seemed to know what they were going to do before they could ever reach for the quick little bugger.

It was a miracle when they barely managed to avoid crashing into each other but neither of them ever stopped grinning and they didn't try to hold in any of their laughter. They laughed as sweat dribbled down their faces and they laughed when one of them ended up on the muddy ground in an attempt to avoid a collision. In the end, neither of them caught the snitch. They called a tie when Hadrian had come mere inches from checking his shoulder into a tree at the edge of the field. They had been so absorbed in their fun that they hadn't even noticed that they were drifting further and further from the field and closer to the east edge of the field.

Their game of chase turned into a game of target practice as they tried to immobilize the snitch. It took nearly half an hour of them goading each other and taunting the other about their terrible aim as they took turns using the untraceable wand before they managed to hit the golden little ball with a stunner. Draco caught it before it could hit the ground.

It didn't take them long to make it back to the gear room and properly store away their things. They stripped and showered in the washing area, each facing the wall and pointedly avoiding each other's eyes. Hadrian could admit that Draco was handsome, with blond hair, sharp grey eyes, and sharp features. Thanks to quidditch and a healthy metabolism Draco's body was perfectly fit. Packed muscle laid, wrapped under miles of perfectly unblemished pale skin. Draco had been lucky that the welts he had gotten from that Venomous Tentacula plant in herbology class all those months ago didn't leave any permanent marks, nor had their incidents with Weasley or other past fiascos. Usually, Hadrian could ignore the odd urge in the back of his mind to look at Draco, to reach out and touch and see if he really was as strong as he looked. It was easy when they were in the dorm room, or the quidditch locker room, surrounded by countless other people. The lack of privacy made things rather easy but here, in the privacy of the room that only the two of them ever used was far too easy for him to think about turning his head to either side in an attempt to catch the briefest hints of Draco out of his peripheral vision, even if that hint would be blurred due to his lack of glasses.

Hadrian finished cleaning up first and it was easy to wrap his waist in a towel and skitter out of the washroom without looking at Draco in order to hide the embarrassed flush that undoubtedly had to be covering his cheeks. He dressed in the main part of the room and managed to get his hormones, among other things, in check before Draco emerged from the washroom.

His blond hair was still dripping wet and plastered to his forehead in a way that was far too cute to be possible.

Hadrian himself had used that nifty little hair spell he had been taught. His hair was no longer wet and pulled back into a satisfactory low ponytail that rested at the base of his skull.

Draco was smirking at him as if he knew something Hadrian didn't. Never one to be outdone Hadrian stared Draco down with a raised eyebrow. He didn't look away until Draco did, even then though, Hadrian knew the blond was smiling like he had won some sort of prize.

Once they were both dressed and once again presentable they grabbed the book and wand from where they left them tucked under some untouched quidditch magazines in one of the cubbies and grabbed their normal outdoor cloaks. They didn't go to the field this time. Instead, they walked around the edge of it and to the east edge where the field faded into the thick woods that surrounded the manor.

The woods were thick and the lack of sunshine that day cast a gloomy, grey light over everything. It was quiet aside from the occasional rustle of a small animal or a tweet from some unsuspecting bird hidden in the treetops. They only planned to go far enough into the woods so that it was less likely that they are seen from the manor's informal sitting room that happened to overlook the field. Marvolo was supposed to be working and Severus was brewing a potion in his private lab and wouldn't emerge until dinner time at the earliest. No one was supposed to be in the sitting room that overlooked the field and woods but it was better to be safe than sorry. Their parents were rather strict when it came to them using underaged magic outside of school. If they could do it without being detected then it was less likely that anyone would even notice but they didn't count the rare bout of accidental magic that happened on occasion. Anything more than that was a strict no. Even the hair spell Hadrian used wasn't allowed...That's why he did it wandlessly ninety percent of the time.

If they got caught they would be in for the mother of all groundings but the risks seemed to outweigh the cost. If they even got caught which at the moment, seemed like a very unlikely possibility.

They walked for far longer than they needed and they both knew it but they didn't stop each other either. They didn't talk at all actually. They let the soft natural music of the woods be the only sound they needed.

The forest was thick with plant life but the further in they walked, the more wary Hadrian became. He couldn't pinpoint why exactly but something was starting to bother him. Draco seemed to be feeling the same way, looking around them warily. Hadrian's own gaze zeroed in on specific plants occasionally but he never said anything outright about them. The further they walked the more Hadrian started to recognize the smaller plants. The ones were considered safe to study during herbology lessons at Hogwarts.

Herbology and potions often went hand in hand at Hogwarts since so many potions ingredients came from the greenhouses. There were pink stems and green leaves with red splotches indicative of Alihosty everywhere. Aconite, Cobra Lilies, Dittany. Delicate white and yellow bloodroot flowers were sporadically planted in bundles. Belladonna and Betony looked to be deliberately planted side by side. Fluxweed and Foxgrove, Goosegrass, Ginger, Star Grass, Tormentil, Valeria and Valerian,. Hydrangea, Jewelweed, Knotgrass, Lavender, Lilies, Ling, Wiggenbushes, Wormseed and Hellebore, Sugar shrubs and Sneezeworts and even a Snargaluff stump. Silverweeds and Snakeweeds, poison ivy and peppermint, Borage, Moonseed, Asphodel, Mayflower, and dozens of other plants were deliberately planted.

Many of the plants grew wildly in this part of the world but never so close to so many other plants, especially when so many of them were so toxic to the area around them but many of the plants didn't belong there either. They all had different needs and requirements to thrive but somehow they were all here and thriving and the only way that could even be possible was through magical intervention and there was only one Wizard powerfully enough and knowledgeable enough to maintain such a menagerie.

Severus had a garden outside of the manor though, full of different plants but they were all much more tame. He would have no need for another garden like this and at the very least he would have warned Hadrian away. They were the kind of plants that were much more commonly found in standard gardens and Hogwarts greenhouses but only handled by teachers or the oldest students. It was naive to think that Severus didn't have another space where he would keep his much more vicious plants but it just seemed so bizarre. Severus brewed potions for the hospital wing, which in and of itself required mass amounts of ingredients but there were some ingredients that were far too volatile to even think about keeping in a school. Dumbledore required Severus to brew potions every once in a while and they were often pretty bizarre.

When Severus wasn't brewing for the school or for Dumbledore then he was brewing for Marvolo and making various potions to be used for the dark side.

Polyjuice and healing potions, blood replenishing potions, and all sorts of other essentials. He brewed poisons like baneberry potions, bloodroot poisons, malevolent mixtures, moonseed poison, and weedosoros potions. To go with these poisons, he brewed their counterparts, common antidotes and the rare ones for special circumstances. Hadrian had never got Severus or Marvolo to confirm or even admit that they used those sort of potions on people but Hadrian spent enough time in Severus' private potions lab to know that they had to be using the potions Severus was brewing or he wouldn't have to make so many.

Hadrian couldn't help but look to Draco. They couldn't be caught anywhere near this garden. Hadrian was ninety-seven percent sure that they weren't even supposed to know that it existed. Severus never mentioned this small patch a wood when he would talk about where he would go to gather his potion ingredients. He mentioned the large patch of garden that he maintained and grew certain plants in bulk but he deliberately left out this bit of information, and with good reason, Hadrian suspected.

The patch of woods had to be Severus' doing, no one outside of their little family even had access to the manor or the manor grounds. No one else was as dedicated to potions as Severus was and maintaining this many different plants and the spells that had to be used to maintain it all was an imaginable task.

Bellatrix, Rabastian, and Fenrir didn't have the patience or the green thumb required to tend to so many plants and wards and spells. Rodolphus had the patience and the competency to maintain the small menagerie but not the drive or passion for potions or herbology to put in that much time and work. He definitely didn't have enough presence in Riddle Manor to keep up with such a large garden for that matter. Narcissa like plants for their aesthetics' sake. She was the kind of person who would choose poisonous plants as decorations because they were pretty without giving their nature a second thought.

She would know what plant it was of course because she was the husband of Lucius Malfoy, a daughter of Druella Black. She was smart and had the same thirst for knowledge and power that every Slytherin had. She excelled at herbology but again, she didn't have the passion for it nor the time really.

Lucius was not a plant person. Bellatrix had more than one amusing story to tell about her brother in law. He was not good with plants even though he had the magical ability to maintain the plants magically.

Marvolo was another story entirely. His intellect rivaled Severus' when it came to plants and potions and his magical abilities were just as on par but Marvolo, to put it kindly, could be snootier than Tracy Davis when he wanted to be. He was a dark lord who didn't bat an eye when it came to murder and blood but refused to deal with anything slimy or even textures that he felt were too...gross, He wouldn't bother himself with a garden. Hadrian never questioned Marvolo's disinclination but he knew that Marvolo was not responsible for all these plants.

The only thing that Hadrian couldn't figure out was how Severus had the time to care for such an intricate setup. Without the wards that had to be there be no order or even a way to ensure the plants survived. Like animals, some of the plants could attack one another. The very soil that some of the plants were rooted in could become toxic to other plants. Hell, some of the plants were hostile enough to outright rip apart animals, they definitely had the ability to rip apart other plants. Cobra Lillies ate living things and often struck out at things, other plants included when they felt threatened just like any other mundane snake.

Without magical intervention, the risks of the plants dying or polluting each other and killing each other off were high. Someone had to be around to care for them and he doubted that Severus would allow any one of the house-elves to look after the plants. He didn't have much tolerance for the little big-eyed creatures to begin with, and house-elves were generally too nervous to tend to such a wide variety of vicious plants.

Severus was the only plausible option to care for all the plants but he was at Hogwarts for the majority of the year. Sure he could come back once or twice a week but that was the bare minimum he could get away with. Being a professor of a charter school was time-consuming. Being a head of house was even more so because while he might not be a babysitter, he was responsible for the care and development of his students. He had to be available at a moment's notice if something happened to one of his students or for any school-related matter really. Dumbledore was a nosy and generally meddlesome man and that meant he liked to keep the teachers close at hand. Severus even more so because the man was 'his spy' and Dumbledore swore up and down that only Severus could give him good, reliable information. Severus had a rather short leash so to speak.

With students to take care of nearly 24/7, classes to teach papers to grade, detentions to oversee, and castle halls to monitor at night. Severus had a full plate and a whole bowl of extras on the side in the form of being the Dark Lord's consort and longtime partner. Time was something Hadrian could imagine that he never had enough of really.

Albus Dumbledor also had an annoying habit of calling on Severus to deal with absolute, time consuming, nonsense.

"Come on, we shouldn't be here" Draco sounded just as lost and unsure as Hadrian felt.

"Yeah...we can go around to the south a bit. We should avoid walking through it, we don't know what else is planted here" He clutched his potions book just a bit closer to his chest, their unknown spell just on the tip of his tongue as they slowly backed their way out of the area.

They were standing shoulder to shoulder, unable to remove their eyes from all the different plants in front of them. They were so focused on what was directly in front of them that they didn't notice anything that was going on around them. Maybe if they had then they could have noticed the vines creeping towards them through the grass from the left.

"Let's just g-" Draco's words were cut off just as suddenly as they had started by a yelp followed by a curse "Diffindo!"

"Draco!"

The plant seemed stunned for a moment and that moment was just long enough for Draco to start to get to his feet and for Hadrian to get a look at whatever plant had attacked them.

A Venomous Tentacula much larger than the ones they had tried to handle in herbology laid just feet from them, hissing and snapping its large mouth at the prospect of having a meal. Despite how strong Draco's Diffindo had been, it wasn't enough to keep the plant from coming at them again. This time when the plant came after them it came after them both with enough force to send Hadrian to the ground, potions book flying out of his hand with a shout as he hit the ground.

He was quick to grab his wand from where it was tucked into the waistband of the jeans he had put on when he had changed out of his quidditch gear.

Draco could be heard struggling just as much as he was.

The music of birds chirping and little woodland creature skittering about was replaced with the harsh noises of the Tentacula plant hissing and snapping its mouth fool of fangs and Draco's repetitive calls of the severing spell. Draco faired far better than Hadrian did, Hadrian could barely manage to keep a hold of his wand due to vines repeatedly wrapping around his wrist and jostling his arm. He was lucky enough for Draco to be there. When one of them couldn't get a handle on one of the vines gripping them then the other would come to their rescue, no matter how precarious their own trouble with the vines was.

They had only just managed to start beating the vines back when Draco gave a shout of what Hadrian could only think of as one of fear and shock.

With a strong cutting hex, Hadrian beat away the now completely severed vines that had been holding him and turned to face Draco.

Nothing could prepare him for the sheer terror that washed through him when his eye landed on Draco.

Draco had changed into jeans and a t-shirt to go under his cloak, just like Hadrian had but now Dracos clothes were no longer pristine like they had been. They were covered in mud and dirt smears and grass stains and Draco's pants were no longer wearable. There was a large tear in the fabric that ran from his ankle to his knee caused by one of the plant's vines. The vine was one of the few with a mouth and managed to hook its fangs into the flesh above Draco's ankle, paralyzing him with the plant's none lethal but potent venom.

The very thought of Draco getting eaten, in the middle of the woods by a plant was horrifying and scared him to the very core of his magic.

He couldn't think clearly, all that could break through the thick cloud of panic in his mind was 'protect Draco'.

It was the same brand of panic that clouded one's senses like an expensive of top-shelf alcohol. His need to protect the people he cared about had always been stronger than his sense of reason. He had wanted nothing more than to save Ginny in second year when she had been trapped in the chamber of secrets. He had been so determined in his efforts to save Ron and Gabrielle when they had been competing in the Triwizard tournament, that he nearly drowned himself in the process. He had been so concerned for Sirius' safety last year that he had rushed to help him, breaking countless rules in the process. Hermione had gotten hurt but he had done what he could to make it up to her afterward, even when she made cruel and snide remarks and blamed him for it all.

All he ever really wanted was to protect and take care of his friends, even if he didn't always know how to.

"Secteemsempra" The hand motion was sloppy and fumbled and in no way resembled the wand motions the book described and panic made his pronunciation less than ideal but it was all that he could manage in his panicked state.

The spell had the desired effect and while his aim was just shy of hitting the spot he was aiming for he still struck the plant.

The curse was far more than what they thought it was, the damage done was far more deadly than the damage any cutting hex they learned at Hogwarts could do. The plant gave a violent, disturbingly human-like shriek as the limbs went limp. The vine securely wrapped around Draco's ankle went limp and the mouth of the vine detached itself from Draco's flesh. The cuts on the plant were plentiful and deep. If it had been a human target, he was willing to bet that being dealt with a blow from such a spell would bring their death.

Their lives were no longer under threat but that didn't do anything to quell the panic that had forced its way into his chest and decided to stay there for a while

Dropping down to his knees beside his friend he gripped both his shoulders and pulled him up so that he was leaning against Hadrian's own shoulder, speaking much louder than he normally did "Draco"

He wasn't sure how bad the paralysis was or how long it would last since it was different for each person and there was no way of telling how much of the plant's venom got into his system.

It seemed to be enough to stop Draco from making much noise asides from the muffled groan that he released. His eyes were closed but his eyelashes seemed to be fluttering occasionally as if he were simply trapped in a deep sleep and struggling to come back to the land of the living.

He didn't know what to do, he couldn't just leave Draco in the middle of the woods with so many different plants around him that would be delighted to get their hands on a defenseless human to prey upon. He could cast a Patronus but he had already used so much magic in one day. He didn't know how much longer he could get away with using magic while there was still a trace on his wand due to him being underaged and Draco must have dropped the wand he was using because it was nowhere in sight. It didn't seem like Draco had brought his own wand with him either.

Now that he lived in a magical household he could get away with using a bit more magic but luck was never really something that was on his side and the ministry held a grudge against him still for being right about the dark lord being alive and for getting the prophecies in the department of mysteries destroyed. It wasn't like Marvolo or Severus would have approved of the use of magic either and the thought of having their disapproval for something he could control made something in his gut sink.

He could try to carry Draco back. If he couldn't bring help to Draco then bring Draco to help would be the next best solution. The only problem was that he didn't know if he could. He had made a lot of progress health-wise and he was much stronger than he used to be but that didn't mean that he could carry Draco all the way back to the manor. Draco was thin, yes but his body was packed full of muscle and muscle weighed more than fat. Carrying Draco's one hundred and forty plus pounds would be no easy feat. He doubted he could carry Draco that far but he would try. At the very least he could drag them both away from the remains of the Venomous Tentacula and the rest of the carnivorous and poisonous and venomous plants.

He tried his best to use his body weight to lift them both onto their feet but with Draco's dead weight and his own energy quickly crashing as he came down from his adrenaline high it was difficult. He had only just managed to get them to their feet when Draco seemed to gain back a little bit of his senses and basic motor functions. He tried helping Hadrian but it had the opposite effect. The shift in weight sent them both sprawling onto the ground. Hadrian, unfortunately, ended up under Hadrian, cushioning his fall with his body.

"Sorry, Sorry" Hadrian apologized repeatedly as he scrambled to remove himself from his friend.

Dracos eyes were open now and he was glaring mildly at Hadrian but didn't seem to be injured at all by the fall or by Hadrian falling on top of him. Maybe not as much of the plant's venom had gotten into him as Hadrian had originally thought but he still could properly use his limbs but it could also have been because of whatever protective wards and spells and potions he could have consumed recently at his mother's request. Whatever the reason may be he seemed to finally gain control over his mouth. Whether that was a relief or an annoyance Hadrian wasn't sure yet.

"For s-omeone who weighs so little your heaavier than you look"

"Did you just call me fat Malfoy"

"Of coursse not" Draco half slurred, half spoke "Simply stating that you weigh more than you did before"

"Rude" Hadrian sniffed in mock offense.

"Rude is trespassing through someone's private garden and destroying their plants" The new voice startled them both but only Hadrian had the ability to flinch at the approach of the one and only Severus Snape.

He looked less than pleased as he looked upon them and observed the damage they had done. Thankfully they had left the rest of the garden intact but there would be no salvaging the Venomous Tentacula. The only plant to suffer the fate of death. Hadrian was quick to sit up and shift around so that he was kneeling down next to Draco with his head in his lap and Severus was quick to read the situation as he took a few strides forward with his long legs and take a knee next to the two. He took Draco's chin between his slim fingers and turned his head this way and that, checking to see if the blond had a head wound probably.

"What were you two doing"

"We went on a walk stumbled upon your garden by accident," Draco said, speech just a bit clearer now "We were trying to leave when the plant attacked us"

"You should never have been walking through the woods on your own, without telling anyone where you were going no less"

He quickly moved on from checking Draco's head to exam his ankle. The bite wound on his ankle was bleeding sluggishly but Severus didn't seem overly concerned about it as he uttered a quiet healing spell. Hadrian watched in fascination as the wound slowly went from gaping indents in the flesh to thin scabbed over marks. The wound, once the spell was done, looked like it had been a bite mark left by a small house pet as opposed to a large fanged and deadly plant.

"You were lucky that the plant was just overgrown and not nearly old enough for its venom to be deadly"

"We didn't mean for this to happen" Hadrian defended weakly.

"Where did you learn that spell"

He was caught between wanting to lie about the book and telling the truth. He feared that Severus would confiscate the book but on the other hand...he also feared the consequences of being caught in a lie. The spell had been far more dangerous and powerful than they ever could have imagined. Draco had taken the liberty of coping down all of the potion notes and annotations of the Half-Blood Prince's book so it wasn't like Hadrian couldn't recopy all the notes into the new one he had but has not yet used. But if they did that then he would have to be careful. They couldn't let on that they had basically made copies. No one even knew about the original much less the copy Draco now had.

"In an old potions book"

The startled look Severus gave him was alarming. He looked between the two of them as if he was only meeting them for the first time and it was then that it dawned on him. He knew exactly who the half-blood prince was.

In hindsight, they should have been able to figure it out sooner. Severus was a half-blood but he was the only living member of the Prince family. He had mentioned his mother once or twice in passing but never in great detail. He had mentioned her once when he was telling Hadrian the story of the time his own mother had met Lily when he was young. His mother was born Eileen Prince, a pureblood witch who had married once but retook her maiden name when her first husband divorced her after it had been discovered that she had had an affair and became pregnant, with a muggle no less. She was disowned after she remarried, this time to the muggle she fell in love with. This man was named Tobias Snape.

Eileen Snape died sometime during Severus' first year and his father died a few years later under brutal and unexplainable circumstances.

Severus didn't talk about his family or say much about his past that could reveal any major details about the man's life but Hadrian could guess well enough from the memories he had witnessed in Severus' pensive and from the understanding Severus had about certain things that could only come from experience.

Hadrian and Draco had some of the highest marks in their year, they should have been able to piece together the information far sooner but maybe their closeness to Severus had blinded them from truly looking into the information that had been right in front of them the whole time.

"You... you're the Half-Blood Prince"

"We will talk about this later when you return the book to me" Severus' onyx colored eyes were blazing with an indeterminable mix of emotions. Hadrian didn't dare protest the soon to be loss of the book. "Are you hurt"

He took a moment to take stock of himself. Aside from a few tears in the fabric of his clothing and a few shallow scratches on his arms and legs and the singular scratch on his neck, he was physically unharmed. Shaking his head he stood up from the ground and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he looked down into Draco's eyes instead of looking at his dad.

"Let's go, I have an anti-paralysis potion in my private stores. Once both of you are capable of proper human functions you will be explaining to me and your parents just exactly how you got this book and why you didn't turn it over to a teacher or me for that matter."

Severus was quick to pull out his wand and utter a levitation spell to lift Draco from the ground. Hadrian shuffled off, careful not to get too close to any more plants as he searched for his dropped book. He found Draco's grandfather's wand on the ground in the process and was quick to pocket the item for safekeeping. He didn't find the book as quickly as he thought he would though. It was a gloomy grey day and the little light that managed to break through the canopy of the trees wasn't bright enough to cast a lot of light over a leather-bound potions book. He could have sworn it had fallen somewhere near a patch that was a mix of fluxweed, star grass, and Dittany but when it was nowhere to be found he resorted to looking around the Tormentil plants. When that turned up nothing he looked around in the patched of Betony but there was nothing there either.

His last resort was to look around a giant patch of Silverweeds. This patch of plants made him stop for a moment as he looked at it. The majority of the patch was Silverweed but there were madonna lilies mixed in. He couldn't help but admire how the stems of the plants were intertwined with each other almost like premade flower bouquets. The potions book was safely tucked under one such bouquet, laying under some of the leaves as if the fragile flowers could shield it from the destructive powers of the plant that had been trying to harm them just moments ago.

He carefully brushed some damp soli off the cover of the book before pressing it close to his chest and turning back to face Severus. He was staring back, watching his son with sharp eyes to make sure that Hadrian didn't somehow get himself into any more trouble, as if he somehow could while surrounded by the most harmless plants in the whole garden. Severus waited till he was standing side by side with Draco's floating body before he urged him forward. The walk was quiet aside from the occasional murmur of comfort that he voiced towards Draco. The blond didn't return the soft murmurs but rather made soft teasing jabs at his friend.

He joked about the scratch on his neck becoming a scar and how all the girls would simply swoon when they saw how rugged he looked with it. Their somber mood was lightened for those few moments before the manor came into view. They sobered up quickly after that because they knew that they were that much closer to getting whatever punishment their parents decided they deserved for what they did. Severus took them into the house through the garden to the back patio. It was closer than walking all the way to the quidditch room but that didn't make the trip any more pleasant.

The sight of so many plants after what they had just been through made him feel slightly sick. None of these plants was half creature like the venomous tenacula was but that didn't make him any more uneasy. The downward quirk of Draco's lips lead him to believe that he felt the same, even if Draco couldn't turn his head to properly see any of the plants in the garden. After Hadrian's interactions with the whomping willow in his second year and again in his third he was truly starting to believe that plants would be evil if they weren't so useful.

Severus took them to the drawing-room and levitated Draco to the couch.

"Stay here, Draco don't try to move even if you feel like you can"

Hadrian just nodded as he sat down at the top of the couch near Draco's head so that Draco could at least see with his eyes that he was not alone in the large but quiet room.

Severus came back quickly, holding a vial of violently pink liquid. He settled his hand under Draco's head and lifted it gently as he helped him drink it. Instantly the muscles in Draco's face that he could control screwed up in disgust. His lips smacked together as his nose scrunched up. Hadrian had never drunken an anti-paralysis potion but by Draco's reaction, he could guess that it tasked rather unpleasant.

"That potion will have complete effect in just a few moments. Your mother and father will be here in exactly five minutes. Hadrian, Marvolo will be here in just a few moments."

Severus wasn't wrong. The potion took only moments to take effect and Draco was sitting up with a soft groan as he moved his limbs and stretched out his muscles as he tried to get rid of some of the soreness that had settled in from being so still and ridged and immobile for such a long time. It had only been fifteen minutes of stillness sure but those fifteen minutes must have felt far longer than that.

Marvolo was the first to arrive just as Severus said he would be and he looked less than pleased to have been pulled away from whatever work he had been doing. His eyebrows nearly raised into his hairline when he saw how roughed up the boys looked. His eyes seemed to zero in on their sheepish expressions and the blood that stained the collar of Hadrian's shirt and Draco's pant leg. He didn't ask any questions though. He crossed his arms across his chest and leveled them with a deep searching gaze.

It was the intimidating kind of gaze that could make even the bravest of wizards fold like wet sugar. It was the kind of gaze that compelled nothing but honesty and truth and promised retribution for any sort of misleading comment or some kind of lie. Hadrian wanted nothing more than to learn how to give someone that kind of look.

Narcissa came bustling into the room like a woman on a mission with Lucius, Rodolphus, and Rabastan following after her. There was a fire in her eye that had Draco wincing in his seat when the look settled on him. He straightened his back though and met her look head-on with a rather blank one of his own. Where Draco was blank and Narcissa was full of passionate fury Lucius simply looked curiously concerned as his gaze rolled over his son and godson. Rodolphus and Rabastan looked curious as well but they didn't dare voice any of their questions, not when Narcissa was so furious. They knew better.

"Well are you boys going to explain yourselves or are you going to just sit there and stare like nitwits" Narcissa spoke as her arms crossed over her chest. She was growing more and more irritated the longer they stayed quiet.

Her anger stemmed from fear and her concern for their well-being and they both knew that but that didn't make her any less intimidating and scary as they tried to figure out how to explain what they were doing and why. The book in and of itself could be considered cheating really and they wanted to soften that blow any way they could. They used it in class and on assignments and used it to improve their marks in class. From the standpoint of a student in Slytherin house, it was only natural to use such a thing to one's advantage but from the standpoint of a parent, a past Slytherin or not, it was unethical and would do them no good later if they didn't actually learn the material they were using.

"Professor McGonnagal signed Ron and me up for potions class with Slughorn" Hadrian started "I didn't have a book so Professor Slughorn let us borrow some old Sixth-year books he had in one of the cupboards. Ron got the new book and I ended up with this one...the one that said it belonged to the Half-Blood Prince."

He still held the book in his lap but he quickly handed it over when Lucius held his hand out for it with wary recognition. Rodolphus and Rabastan perked up too when they caught sight of what Lucius now held in his hand. Lucius flipped through the potions book page by page with a quirked eyebrow. At first glance, the book really did seem harmless and it would have been really would have been if it weren't for some of the potions that were annotated. It made some of the potions stronger, more potent. There were poisons and cures and draughts and if made and put into the wrong hands it could get someone seriously hurt.

Not to mention the very spell that had gotten them into such danger.

"I didn't show it to anyone but Draco, we were using it to help us with our classwork. It was easy since we were partners in class and could get away with sharing one book. We still did our own work and such, just used modified recipes in the book"

"We found the spell one day in class, we researched and read almost every book in the library but we couldn't find anything about it so...we thought we would test it out during the break, see if it could be anything useful" Draco cut in.

"Severus is this..." Rodolphus trailed off as he looked at the book with a spark of recognition.

Rodolphus, Rabastan, and Severus had been in the same year during their time at Hogwarts. It was only natural that they know about the project that Severus had to have spent so much time working on. It was only natural that Lucius found out about the book because even though Lucius was older and had graduated by the time Severus was in his sixth year, they were still friends who kept in touch.

"It is" Severus confirmed.

"We stumbled upon Severus' garden when we were looking for a place to test the spell but when we tried to leave his Venomous Tentacula attacked us. We fought it but I got stunned and Hadrian use the spell to fight it off, it was powerful enough to kill it"

There was a long moment of silence where everyone seemed to look between them, finally comprehending why they were so disgruntled and why Severus had called them here instead of dealing with them himself.

"You boys thought it would be okay to test a random spell that you knew nothing about" Narcissa practically exploded "Do you know how dangerous that could have been. You could have blown yourselves up or seriously injured one another and you didn't even tell anyone you were going into the woods"

Hadrian winced as he fiddled with his hair nervously. His ponytail had been pulled loose by one of the Tentacula's vines and he had yet to fix it "We didn't think that it could go so wrong. We didn't mean to wander into the garden, we wouldn't have if we had known it was there, the book was so helpful when it came to school work that we didn't stop to that the spell might have been something so harmful"

"Whether you knew it was there or not the both of you were deliberately reckless and acted foolishly" Marvolo broke in, disapproval clear in his tone.

"We didn't mean for this to happen" Draco defended

"We're sorry" Hadrian added

"Sorry or not you acted gormlessly, what if one of you didn't come back"

Guilt washed through them both as they truly thought in depth about what they had risked by deciding to play around with an unknown spell from a book that they know nothing about. Next to him, he could feel the flinch that traveled through Draco's body at Marvolo's harsh but truthful words

Hadrian should have known better than anyone, after what had happened with Tom Riddle's diary and Ginny in his second year. It was stupid and completely like a Gryffindor to assume first and ask important questions later.

"The both of you are grounded I hope you know" Marvolo took the book to examine it himself.

He paged through the book, thumbing at his husband's handwriting with an air of familiarity as he flipped through the pages before he handed it off to Severus. Severus didn't page through the book as the others did. He opened the book's front cover and traced his hand over the words 'property of the half-blood prince' with a faraway look. Maybe he was thinking about how the book ended up discarded in an old book cupboard or about all the different experiments he conducted in order to be able to create such annotations and brilliant insights.

"We deserve to be grounded" Draco nodded along with Hadrian's answer, both feeling terrible about what happened.

While he looked at the book he paced in front of the lit fireplace.

They weren't expecting for Severus to drop the book into the flickering flames of the lit fireplace and they both gave cries of shock and disbelief that Severus would destroy something he worked on for so long and so hard.

"The next time you get the bright idea to be complete buffoons, don't be" He drawled "we expect more from you"

The shame that swelled in Hadrian's chest was nearly suffocating.

He wanted to make it better and he would have...if only he knew how too.


End file.
